Canton Farmers Market seeking volunteers for inaugural season

Plans are rapidly coming together and excitement is steadily building for the impending arrival of the Canton Farmers Market — a new weekly venture set to launch on June 13 on the lawn in front of the Rodman building.

Conceived and organized by a group of likeminded residents with diverse skillsets, the farmers market will set up shop every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the summer and early fall and will feature a variety of vendors selling fresh, locally sourced food along with specialty items and artisanal wares. Plans also call for the inclusion of community groups, local businesses, entertainers, and fitness providers on a rotating basis with the potential for the farmers market to be expanded over time.

According to Canton Farmers Market advisory board member Jess Hesselschwerdt, organizers have thus far secured 11 weekly vendors for the inaugural season with product offerings ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat and seafood, pet treats, gluten-free bakery, granola, bath and body works, coffee, ice cream and more.

She added that there will likely be “more to come” and that organizers are committed to staying as local as possible while still ensuring a wide variety of vendors. “At this time,” said Hesselschwerdt, “about half of the vendors are from Canton, including Balls by Liz, Copper City Espresso, Fire Garden Pottery, Maple & Thyme, Mookie’s Pet Treats and Sensational Showers.”

While the Canton Farmers Market is completely green-lit and is a “go” for opening day, Hesselschwerdt said the focus now among organizers is to fill out the volunteer ranks to ensure that the market runs smoothly for vendors and patrons alike.

“Right now, we’re only at 60 percent of the weekly volunteers needed from the community to help make sure the market is successful,” she said. “We are actively recruiting community volunteers to be part of four volunteer ‘crews.’ The commitment we’d love is volunteering one Sunday a month for the five months the market is open (June – October).”

Hesselschwerdt said they would ideally like to start with 15 volunteers per crew, and they are asking that volunteers commit to all of the dates for their crew and have availability on those dates from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. “Once crews are filled, crew members will be assigned shifts within the 8:30 to 3:30 range,” she said.

Hesselschwerdt said anyone age 14 and up will be allowed to volunteer on their own, while kids ages 11-14 can volunteer alongside an adult. The job of each volunteer will vary but could include anything from helping with set up and break down, to greeting customers, to helping with parking, assisting vendors, and more.

Lauren Kendall, a local transplant by way of Denver, Colorado, counts herself among those who are thrilled to be offering their time and service to the inaugural Canton Farmers Market.

“There’s a really big culture around farmers markets [in Denver], and it wasn’t something we were finding when we moved here three years ago,” said Kendall. “So when I found out that Canton was having its own farmers market I was really excited to help bring that to the local community.”

Kendall ended up signing on as a crew co-captain, and she will be responsible for overseeing her crew of 15 volunteers during the five Sundays that she has committed to this season.

She strongly encourages other Canton residents to consider volunteering as well. “We know it’s a time commitment, but it’s only once a month,” she said. “Whether you can give a couple of hours or the whole day, that would be great. The more volunteers we have, the smoother the Canton Farmers Market is going to run.”

Kendall said if she were to make a prediction, she’d bank on the inaugural season being “hugely successful,” considering not only the commitment of the organizers but also the appetite for local event such as this — especially coming out of the pandemic.

“I think it’s going to have a huge draw,” she said. “From what I’ve seen already, people are really interested and really excited about this farmers market coming to Canton.”

“Something like this, it elevates a community,” she added. “It encourages eating locally; it encourages people to come together as a community and support local vendors. There’s really no negative here. I could not be happier about the farmers market and I’m humbled by the opportunity to help out.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for the Canton Farmers Market in its inaugural season is asked to sign up by May 21 via the online form at www.cantonfarmersmarket.org/get-involved/volunteer. Sponsorship opportunities are also still available — to learn more, visit www.cantonfarmersmarket.org/get-involved/sponsor.

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 14 2021. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.