The Orillia Farmers’ Market was bustling Saturday morning as hundreds of people packed the Market Square beside the Orillia Public Library.
Orillia Farmers’ Market Manager Diana Smith says things at the market are running smoothly this summer.
“We’ve had a really good response from the vendors and the visitors. And the visitors are happy to see that we have so many vendors,” she said.
Smith says the farmers’ market boasts more vendors now than what they’ve had in recent memory. This Saturday, the market featured 36 vendors.
“During the pandemic, a lot of people were off work and had time to get creative and work with their hands to create new hobbies. We are happy to have those vendors join our market to help expand their reach,” she said.
Smith says about 500 people have been attending the market each Saturday, and a lot of them are families.
“I think a lot of people like taking a walk downtown to see the farmers’ market each weekend. A lot of people seem interested in the fresh produce that is in season right now; the farmers are selling out by the end of the day,” she said.
Jacob Kearey-Moreland, owner of Bass Lake Farms, has been bringing fresh produce, seeds and flowers to the market for the last six years. While he enjoys spending Saturdays at the downtown market, some people have been trying to convince him to re-locate.
“I hear from a lot of people at the farmers’ market that we should go to the (ODAS Park) Fairgrounds because it’s busier, there are more vendors, and we would do better there in terms of our sales,” he said.
“We do OK at the downtown farmers’ market, but we still end up with a lot of produce on the table which we are fortunate enough to donate to the Sharing Place. But I would expect that in a city of this size, we would be selling out of this fresh local produce.”
Despite that, Kearey-Moreland doesn’t plan on leaving the Orillia Farmers’ Market any time soon.
“I live in Orillia, I have been going to the Orillia Farmers’ Market since I was a toddler, and I think it’s really important for our city to have a farmers’ market that is downtown and accessible for people.”
Kearey-Moreland says some of his customers from the Orillia Farmers’ Market don’t have access to grocery stores that have fresh locally grown produce that would be within their range of affordability.
“I’m hopeful that if we stick it out that the market downtown will grow and rebound. It’s been there for 200 years and is one of the longest-running farmers’ markets in the province,” he said.
Kearey-Moreland says he would like to see the city try to add more local farmers who have a good diversity of items in order to keep customers coming back.
“It would be nice to have a community of farmers and have them supported by the city.”
Regular market goer Kathy Webb says the market’s strong suit is its variety of bakers and vendors selling unique arts and crafts.
“I noticed that there are several types of different bakers, they’ve got specialty bakers, they’ve got the traditional bakers, and even people who do gluten-free vegan options,” she said.
Webb also attends the market because of the warm sense of community that it brings her.
“We’ve lived in Orillia for 30 years, and it’s always been a part of our lives since,” she said.
And as COVID is still part of our lives, the market has brought in measures to protect people from the coronavirus.
“We put two hand sanitizers at each entrance of the market and the vendors are required to wear a mask,” she explained.
“Everyone is asked to keep their social distance at all times, and for those who handle food we ask that they have a separate person handle the cash and also not offer food sampling.”
The market is getting set to move inside for the fall beginning on Oct. 16, and customers are already getting antsy for the autumn season, she noted.
“People are excited about the fall produce, we do have a lot of people already asking about fall decor and if they can get it at the market,” Smith said.
“In early September we have new vendors who will be joining us with the fall decor," she explained, noting one vendor will be selling fall-themed wreaths.
Smith reminds market-goers there is free parking on Saturday mornings in lots 4, 7, 9, and 10.
