NEWSLETTER No.3
Hometown: Westford Farmers' Market
By Lynn Monty, Free Press Staff Writer
Local musician Carol Ann Jones played her guitar and sang as Chris Siegriest’s dog Oreo, 13, relaxed in Westford’s town center. A thunderstorm threatened the Westford Farmers Market, but that didn’t stop the dozen or so vendors from setting up shop recently. Siegriest of the Bread and Roses Farm in Westford has sold vegetables at the market for three years.
Sue Comette of Fletcher visits the booth weekly. “My husband loves the radishes, the scallions and the carrots,” Comette said. “I usually get all that I can.”
Vintage feedbag dresses were the hot item Carrie Cook of Cambridge was peddling. The idea was inspired by a song. She sang, “I got a fifty dollar gold piece that says there ain’t nothin’ I can’t do. I can make a dress out of a feedbag. I can make a man out of you.” Cook said she makes different size dresses and often wears them herself as a shirt or with a belt.
New business owners Guy and Pat Roberge of Westford were at the market selling their Green Mountain Kettle Corn. “We just started this business two weeks ago because my husband is going to retire next year and we wanted to do something together, so we came up with this idea,” Pat Roberge said.
Janet H. Franz of Westford was left with only two loaves of bread at her booth. “They’ve already cleaned me out,” she said. Pies are her biggest seller. She has baked for the market for 10 years.
According to The Westford Farmers Market newsletter, it received a mini-grant from the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont this year. This grant provided 40 Vermont Farmers Markets a total of $85,079 to support long-term growth and stability. The Westford Farmers Market will use a portion of the funding for new market manager, Heike Meyer.
Meyer said she is managing the daily business of the market, coordinating marketing and planning activities. She will also be looking for new vendors to be in the market. There are not enough funds to support a full paid position, she said. Everybody involved with the market is volunteering a lot of time.
New road signs to attract commuter traffic and tourists traveling in the region on Fridays have been ordered and the Web site is new this year.
Additional Facts
If you go
• WHAT: The Westford Farmers' Market
• WHEN: 3:30-to 6:30 p.m. Fridays
• WEB SITE: www.westfordfarmersmarketvt.org
-
•E-MAIL: info@westfordfarmersmarketvt.org.
www.burlingtonfreepress.com | Printer-friendly article page
Burlington Free Press Article
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
