Cashmere farmers market staged to blossom
Image: Collected
The Sunday farmers markets in Cashmere is placing down new roots this year with help from focused organizers, a $50,000 grant and a budding partnership with the Leavenworth Community Farmer's Marketplace.
The big unknown here is where, precisely, the market will be located when the growing season starts in May, but discussions are in the works and an announcement is expected anytime, said Cali Osborne, who has been hired, because of the grant, to manage the marketplace. She is executive director and supervisor of the Leavenworth Community Farmers Industry and the regional lead for the Washington Talk about Farmers Market Association.
Her job is to fit together all the pieces.
“I like to say that running a farmers industry is like planning for a 300-person wedding reception weekly: you’ve got to manage and coordinate vendors, guests, performers and staff, equilibrium the layout and communicate with many different stakeholders,” she said.
The other piece is making sure the market meets the goals of these who organized it - the group of Cashmere locals who, according to the market’s objective statement, want to “Bring together neighbors, farmers and smaller businesses in an inclusive space to improve our standard of living and create a resilient community by strengthening monetary vitality, social relationships, healthy environments and food security.”
That group - including Brooklyn Holton, Kelsey Gust and Steffanie Haney - teamed up previous summer months to gauge support with community members, farmers and previous industry organizers to check out ways to kick-start the marketplace and make it sustainable.
Holton knew about a community initiatives grant prospect offered through the North Central Accountable Network of Health that could provide seed money to release the effort. She wrote the grant, that was submitted in October and awarded, in full, in December.
During the grant-writing course of action, Holton reached out to the Leavenworth Community Farmers Market to require advice, which led to a discussion of a potential partnership that would help both communities, Osborne said.
“We are still navigating that process, but we are working to create a robust long-term romance, wherein we operate as a group rather than as competing market segments,” she said.
The joint effort helps it be easier for vendors and sponsors to join up - and creates even more bang for the buck with publicity efforts, attracting even more interest from both sides of the table and from volunteers.
A long-term partnership between the two market segments also provides more balance for the market management position, which before has seen a lot of turnover.
“By adding a second market day to your staff’s hours and responsibilities, we are properly stretching the season of job to a year-round work, and we are hoping that will mean keeping staff around longer and providing more regularity for them,” Osborne said.
Grant funds are actually also being used to make a “farm-to-market” program on Cashmere having a series of classes covering from planting a seed to harvesting manufacture and preparing foods on the market at the market.
The market is slated to operate 9 a.m. to 1 1 p.m. Sundays from May 9 to Oct. 31.
Vendors includes farmers, artisans, bakers, crafters and nonprofits, with priority directed at Cashmere locals, but it is available to vendors from across the state offering products made or grown by them.
The hope is participation will start strong and continue steadily to grow, she said.
“I hope the Cashmere Market will be as large as Leavenworth’s right away, but realistically, it could have a season or two to get there. I would guess that we start out in May with about 10 vendors and grow to 15-20 at the peak of the growing season,” she said.
It’s likely some vendors going to the Leavenworth market on Thursdays also will participate in Sunday’s market in Cashmere.
“We are anticipating a small amount of overlap with Leavenworth suppliers, but definitely not the same roster,” Osborne said. “That is largely predicated on each vendor’s availability on Sundays, their proximity to Cashmere, how much they are able to grow in a time and their fascination in adding another market with their schedule.”
Vendors may apply online, cashmeremarket.org, for whichever market dates they want: all Cashmere, almost all Leavenworth, both or a few of each. Vendors are certainly not required to commit to a certain quantity of dates, and if they have to cancel for a week or two, they can do that basically any moment, she said.
“If we ever have way too many vendors, we give preference to those located nearer to the market and those who attend every market,” Osborne said.
But first things initially, she said.
“The biggest step now is to obtain a location locked in. We happen to be in need of that for so many reasons, not the least of which is advertising,” she said.
Source: https://www.wenatcheeworld.com