The sun came out for the last day of the Albany Farmers’ Market 2014 season.
You’ll have to wait a few months if you want to get some stuff at the weekly farmers’ market in Albany. The Saturday market finished its season this week. And if the usual schedule is followed again in 2015, it will reopen in April.
I’ve admired the producers from around the valley for sticking with the Albany Saturday market well past the summer. Most recently, the weather on Saturday mornings has not exactly been an invitation to stand outdoors for a few hours — albeit under canopies in most cases — and hope for customers to show up.
Through the fall, the number of vendors shrank as the weather turned more and more unfriendly. But more than a handful, faithful to the end, kept showing up as scheduled and set up their stands, offering seasonal produce and other good stuff. (Hazelnuts, for example, though around here most people insist on calling them filberts.)
Today (Nov. 22) was the last day of the market’s season. As a sign pointed out, the Corvallis farmers’ market will carry on through the winter, thankfully indoors. But fans of the Albany market look forward to its return next spring. (hh)
Our City’s Farmer’s Market is a great touch for the downtown area. Sure not much input or assistance from CARA. This shows how grass roots efforts of individuals pay off. Local grown, local health, local goodness.
On a note of downtown past. Perhaps Mr Hering might recall the Spring Arts Festival put on in our downtown years ago. Now that was a happening! 1st Ave was blocked off as were side streets. That made for (4) blocks of local creative expression! Artist of some note got involved. Our arts classes in our schools got involved .Later, large tents were erected on Water Ave to facilitate the exhibits.
Now that would be an good expenditure of CARA funds for a downtown cause. To arrange shelters, exhibit areas, even lowly port-a-pots. O.K… I’ll go outside & spit in the wind………. JE
As for the Spring Arts Festival, I vaguely remember that one year in the late ’70s, student art work and other creations were displayed in railroad box cars parked on a siding along Water Avenue. It was an ingenious idea and made an impression because it made use of an industrial area to encourage public art. This was long before Monteith Riverpark was created, when there were still traces of industry along the river. (hh)
Opening day is April 18, 2015. We set the calendar by working back from Thanksgiving and sticking to our rather ambitious 32-week season. It’s pretty much always the 3rd Saturday.
Thank you for running this! It did not show up in my Google alerts. I’ll share it on Facebook.