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If you believe the recent Letters to the Editor there seems to some confusion about who is responsible for the success of the Aurora Farmers Market.
Sher St Kitts, wrote a letter suggesting that Mayor Phyllis Morris and Councillor Granger were responsible for all that is good at the Farmers Market. It seems the only things she didn't credit them with was sunshine and warm weather.
A number of citizens rightly pointed out that the Market was around long before either were involved and that if any Councillor was to be credited with the success, it should be Councillor Kean who was the driving force behind starting the market.
However, former Councillor Kean got it right when he shared the credit with those who are most deserving -- the volunteers and the vendors. Without them there would be no market regardless of any Council involvement.
And of course, the most important people of all? The many people who visit the market to chat, purchase products and just enjoy the opportunity to be part of an event that reminds us all what a community is about.
So maybe folks should be less concerned about giving their political friends credit -- and we should all celebrate the sense of community that activities like a Farmers Market represents -- regardless of what politician you support.
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16 comments:
My family looks forward to the market every week. My 2 yr old knows the days of the week as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Farmers Market day. Even her one little piggy goes to "farmer's market".
What attracts us to the market? you can be sure it is not the plastic smiles from Granger or the Mayor should they be happening to be milling about, nor witnessing Sher dancing in the middle of an already crowded street.
Nope, we go because the vendors are special to us.
Every week we start our market day off with a sandwich from Kevin Finch's stand....mmmmmm.
Then we mosey along stopping to pick up bacon from Howard Farms, produce from Finch Haven, Coopers & Brooks farms.
Our daughter makes sure to stop and get a beautiful cookie from Nicolle's Cookies & Cakes, and some cookies or brownies from "The Sugar District" provide her sugar fix.
A pretzel and croissant from Toscanna's are also a treat.
Stopping by the "A Step in Time" booth always offers a new picture or story about our town's rich history, something that our cultural center could learn a lot from.
No market day is complete without being fueled by coffee from Trisha @ GreenRiverCoffee.
And we stock up on everything beef from Snowden Farms where our daughter recently had a meat pie named after her, try the beef and Chardonay, they are to die for.
Once we have loaded up the stroller we are off to play in the park, mingle with the other market goers and relax in the history of Town Park.
There is little confusion in my mind as to who is responsible for the success of the market.
The fact that Sher left out mention of the vendors and market goers when speaking of the success of the market is truly disturbing and should discount her entire letter to be nothing more than a politically motivated piece of trash.
Notice also how she also left out Granger's bullying of a little girl trying to sell ice cream at the market.
Sher speaks volumes, by that I mean she has mastered volume, just not substance.
Her writing style is flawed at best, and wholey political.
One has to wonder if she developed it by reading the Saturday comics.
Calvin, of the Calvin & Hobbes strip once professed:
"The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog"
No doubt what we will continue to see from the so called "Dream Tream".
There is no doubt that market was successful previous to the so called "dream team" and will live on long after they are gone. It is an event by its nature, one that does not need special coordination.
See you all there tomorrow
You had to go and mention Mike's bacon didn't you....
Great post.
This may not be the most popular post on this subject but I feel that I must do it. And pardon me for the anonymous label - Granger may come looking for me.
A couple of Saturdays ago I suggested to my wife that we go to the Farmers' Market. She, a dairy and beef farmer's daughter and me a grandson of a dairy farmer. We both grew up in "small town" Ontario, she about 2 hours north of Aurora and me about 2 hours southwest.
So, we went to the market thinking that it would be something special - if you listen to Granger and St. Kitts that would be true. We had never been to the market in Aurora - either at the current location nor it's former.
Well, disappointment is the first word that comes to mind. Maybe we had high expectations but I think that you could count the number of "farmers" on one hand. To us, this was nothing but a craft/show and street sale. There were a couple of "farmers" selling produce and some farmers from Port Perry area selling meat, but if you were to take away the bar-b-q place, St. Kitts music, the coffee place and the other fast-food vendors and "crafts", you don't have much of a farmers' market.
Sure, it was busy. Granger walking around chatting up the vendors, Morris and her dog; St. Kitts doing her little dance routine in the street. Of course they all say hi to each other and their little friends with hugs and kisses and chat like they have not seen each other for years - probably only been a week ago. We certainly would not go back though because as a farmers' market it pales in comparison to other markets that we have been to.
I think that to call this a farmers' market is misleading. I was expecting farmers with large displays of their produce. Event the farmers that did have produce, there was limited selection and small quantities.
I must agree with anonymous 2:46 .
With Granger and Sher it is about size and they focus on that .
They are looking for votes and not a Market .
If I had the gift of building this Market I would focus on Marketing it in a different way building community and fun events and not a political platform .
Shelley Ware should be operating this market with help of true passionate volunteers and not political carnival acts like the lot there .
I would hit the roads and find farmer vendors and still might if given the chance .
I 100% agree - the Farmers Market is not as great as a lot of people think... It's just a meeting place, not much local produce and not cheap...
To Anonymous 2:46 - Thanks for the heads up on the Farmers Market. I was under the impression that it was a true Farmers Market. I have not yet been but don't think I could stomach seeing Granger's plastic smile, Morris and her dog and Sher St.Kitts dancing in the street so early in the morning. I also think Granger was handed the Farmers Market "portfolio" because it was running so well to begin with and it was all he was capable of - Morris is no dummy in that respect. (I also get the impression that she wouldn't hesitate to throw him under the bus in an instant to save herself - but I digress).
Just keep those negative vibrations going.
So many possibilities, eh.
Thanks for the heads up.
Hate to think that some of Aurora's negatives would pass me by.
I think I'll get my family into our basement shelter.
I would like to see more Aurora musicians have a chance to show off their talents and find it appalling with St Kitts Music dominating the format .
I have only lived in Aurora a short time ,however I know the St Kitts sad ego trip and how it mirrors the Mayors .
This is not a fair Market to the citizens and the Political atmosphere is nothing short of a disgrace .
This Market requires a Team to operate it and not a "Dream Team " because the truth is their playing favorites is a "Nightmare".
By all means, head straight for your basement, just please resign your position on council first. Much appreciated. Thanks.
"please resign your position on council first"
Your meaning escapes me.
Please explain your point.
Do you mean my reaction to the negative sniping here qualifies me to be on council?
Or do you mean that councilors find the sniping offensive?
If we are to follow the example of our "Leader" and her five disciples, then negative sniping is the way things are done in Aurora. Just watch a Council meeting.
I'm glad I arrived too late for "The Mayor's" birthday celebration at the market this week.
Nice to see "special events" so overly "coordinated".
"go Mayor!, go Mayor!, RAH, RAH!
The rampant egotism and self serving nature of our Mayor makes me puke!
Didn't the mayor already hold "The Mayor's" corn roast at the market?
Add these to "The Mayor's" blood drive & "The Mayor's" prayer breakfast. I suppose Aurorans will all be treated to "The Mayor's" sunset tonight.
What happened to the town of Aurora? Can't we hold anything in honor of our town anymore, or for possibly one of our volunteer groups, or non-profits?
I would like to thank everyone involved with this question.
The market started 7 and a half years ago when I chaired the Yonge Street committee and we as a group decided that a Farmres Market downtonw would hopefully help the downtown merchants by getting people downtown on Saturday morning. I went out knocked on many Farmers' doors hoping to get the Market going. I managed to get Coopers Farms, VanHart Organic Vegetables,Howards Meats and Jams, Hurst Bakery and Gabriels. Then the Seniors joined and sold fresh baked goods, books and other items.David Heard also joined and sold items that he made. At different times there would be others selling and advertising events.
Although small at the start we were looking for a new location to even grow the market larger.
At that time each Saturday morning Mayor Tim Jones would do his normal visit to buy various goods.
To me, it was a regular Saturday morning at 6:30 to pick up the baked goods from Hurst Bakery and get them to the market where my daughters Heather or Jenn would sell the baked goods.
All of the vendors would get together every Saturday morning to help set up the various tents or canopies. Then the locals would show up to get there fresh veggies,fruits and baked goods.
After 4 and a half years of giving up every Saturday morning from 6:30 till noon I decided that it was time to pass the torch to some one else.
I am glad that the market is still going and those who feel that the market is not a true Farmers Market then I would suggest that perhaps next year they could help make it one.I agree that everything can be improved.
We also at that time managed to collect a lot of food and other goods for the food bank and the Woman's Shelter thanks to all of the great residents of Aurora.
Thank you Nigel Kean for a civilized response.
We would all benefit from working to improve what we have.
I go to the Aurora Farmers Market about 3 times a year.
When I go, I see 10 or 12 friends, a few acquaintances, a couple of folks who look me in the eye and look away, and after that I buy about $40 worth of stuff (mostly veg and bread) and I go home after about 45 minutes.
You are right Nigel Kean, and I regret my negative comments towards the Farmers Market itself, which by your post, is so much more than the Council members who frequent it. I guess years of watching this Council's behaviour (well, 6 of the 9 members anyway) has made me a cynic. I will try to make it there one Saturday before the end of the season.
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