DESIRÉE DECOSTE

On Sunday, the Picton Town Hall parking lot was a busy and bustling little place, and, for the first time this century, home to a Farmers Market.

Since its inception in 2019 when the Picton Town Hall Board of Management was first appointed, the volunteer body has been working tirelessly to build a Farmers Market on the same grounds where a century prior, people from Picton and the surrounding area would attend and purchase goods of all kind.

“We’re very happy this is finally up and running,” expressed Elis Ziegler, Chairperson on the Picton Town Hall Board of Management. “The farmers market was always the intention for the Picton Town Hall Board of Management to start back up again and even though COVID threw a bit of a wrinkle in our plans, we’re really happy to have it at least twice this fall. We’re also hoping we can create a sub committee of farmers, growers and makers to run this next year.”

 The first few hours brought in between 200-300 people who had walked through the market. A zig-zag path was spray painted so people could still maintain social distancing and shop and browse at the same time.

Picton Town Hall Farmers Market. (Desirée Decoste/Gazette staff)

“We just started this business and just started attending farmers markets this year,” stated Robert Greatrix, owner of The Elmbrook Farm. “The plan was to start here this year but we’ve been attending the Wellington farmers market for the third week last weekend and it’s fun.”

From wood creations to photographs, face masks to coffee and so much more,  many artists, producers and business owners were out and happy to be displaying/selling their products.

“It feels amazing and it’s great to finally be here,” said Krista Dalby Artistic Director for the Department of Illumination Artistic Company. “So we’re here giving away free lantern making kits for this years firelight lantern festival which are sponsored by the Picton Rec Committee. We then have online lantern making tutorials on our website and we’re going to have a lantern gallery at Books & Company so you get a chance to win a gift certificate if you participate. Just telling people other aspects of the festival, we are also going to have the great lantern hunt taking place around Picton, also a chance to win prizes and then we’re having an online celebration on November 7th which is our normal festival night, so really just trying to handout kits and tell people what were doing and that were still doing something.”

If you missed this past Farmers Market make sure to mark your calendars for this coming weekend on Oct. 11 from 10am – 4pm

“The Farmers market if one of the three pillars of the board of management,” Ziegler said. “Including the ROC assuming the lower space of the Town Hall and the community use of the upper level so I would say this is two thumbs up!”

For more information on Picton Town Hall please visit www.pictontownhall.ca