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Haymaker Farmers’ Market

• A new arrival!

  28Aug
  Categories: market bench, market business, market growth, music @ the market Comments Off

  The market benches are all in place now, and from seeing how many folks are using them, it was a project well worthwhile.

  The benches have all been sponsored with the exception of one which will be paid for through the kind donations of our own Rafael Rodriguez and the market.  Thank you for the extra help Rafael!  The first 5 benches are sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, the Kent Yoga Center and Brahmrishi Yoga,  Judge Barb Watson and County Auditor Janet Esposito, the Kent Environmental Council and one dedicated in memory of Frank Goodell who passed away this spring. The City of Kent has generously installed them all on concrete pads at the market site.

  We have a new arrival.  Jamie and Baron Hottensmith had a baby boy, Kiedis.  Jamie brought the little fellow to the market these past two weeks and I snapped a picture of him to share with everyone. Please be sure to congratulate them on their newest addition to the market family!

  

  Jamie and Kiedis at Haymaker

  I won’t be at the next 3 markets and Kelly Ferry has agreed to step into the fray in my absence, If you have a question that needs answered, or a problem with setting up in the north end,  feel free to ask her for help!

  I hope that you all have been enjoying having the musicians playing at the market this summer. We are having a different musician booked for every Saturday this season, and have been fortunate to have received a grant from the city to help defray the additional costs associated with the expansion of the Music @ the Market program. The sense that I have gotten has been that between having the live music as well as having the benches installed, our customers are spending more time at the market. Whether this has translated into the individual vendors selling more I can’t stay, but I do know that we have a much larger crowd on hand each week. This Saturday, 29 August, Wilbur Krebs will be playing sounds from the Caribbean on steel drums. Barb Withee will be on hand the following week playing swing guitar, and the following week the Bluestones will be featured.

  

  Haymaker Farmers' Market 22 August 2009

  All the best to you all.

  Fritz.

• Hammered dulcimer music at market this Saturday!

  05Aug
  Categories: Uncategorized, market growth, music @ the market Comments Off
  

  Lisa and Heather Malyuk to play at Music @ the Market this Saturday, 8/8/2009

  Lisa & Heather Malyuk are reaching a new generation of listeners with their interpretation of old-time, Celtic, and world folk music. Lisa plays hammered dulcimer and banjo-uke and Heather plays fiddle and guitar. The pair will perform from 10 am to 12 noon as part of the Kent, Music @ the Market series. All live performances are free and open to the public every Saturday throughout the summer and fall.
  Haymaker Farmers’ Market is located on Franklin Ave. at Summit Street in downtown Kent. Hours: 9am-1pm.

• Great day in the morning!

  02Aug
  Categories: Uncategorized, market bench, market business, market growth Comments Off

  This was a phrase my grandmother would repeat on a sunny morning as the mist from the night’s dew rose from the fields in the warmth of the morning sun.   She was always happy to see the sun rise over the fields to the east of their farm house in central Michigan, it meant another day spent doing the things she loved; gardening, cooking for her family and visiting with her neighbors on her egg route.  She’s been gone for quite a few years now, but I still like to repeat her phrase when I see the sun shining in the morning, especially on a market day like we had yesterday!  We have never had a bigger or better attended market in our history in Kent.  Special thanks goes out to the talented members of Kent’s Celtic Clan who performed for us under the Haymaker Bridge.  Great job one and all!

  

  People were walking from cars parked all over the downtown area for the opportunity to shop at Haymaker. My 88 year old father found a parking spot north of the Pufferbelly and walked the 3 blocks to see us.  He said that he was glad he had brought his cane along, because the walk was a lot more than he had planned.  I spoke with customers who had parked on Water Street and walked the distance.  As vendors, I think its important to try to park our vehicles at the rear of the market lots so that our customers have better access to street front parking.  If there isn’t enough room in the north lot, there are usually extra places along the fence at the rear of the south lot.  The market lot actually narrows from the south going north.   As the season progresses it seems we have reached our peak capacity in terms of vendors. I never thought I would see the day when it was necessary for me to turn away people from selling, but this has been my unfortunate duty for the last several weeks. My phone and the market email box have been busy places with lots of people wanting to join our market family.

  Yesterday brought a few glitches during set up in the morning. I apologize for any bruised feelings.  Its my intent to preserve the integrity of the market by mixing types of vendors as well as allowing people to set up where their customers have come to expect them.  This isn’t always possible, especially when there are late arrivals, and folks setting up for the first time in the season.  I am doing my best to make things happen smoothly and with as little stress as possible. It was necessary for me to set up some vendors along the grass strip between the street and the market lot.  I’m afraid that this is something we may be doing more of in the future, but I would like to confine the double row idea to the wider parts of the market. Under the Haymaker bridge is one area that will easily accomodate this sort of arrangement.  I need your input on this as well as any concerns you may have. I still have not assigned spaces in the north lot, but will begin this process next Saturday.

  I’m still working on the market benches, but have stalled at two because of a lack of free time. If anyone would like to pitch in, we could probably have them finished in a short time. Feel free to give me a call at 330-678-5748, or just respond to this posting.

  I’m looking forward to hearing from you,

  all the best for the week ahead,

  Fritz.