By David F. Rooney
The long-awaited new Saturday market will open for business next Saturday, May 13, from 8 am until 1 pm along Mackenzie Avenue between First and Second Streets.
“We hope to have our market policies in place and ready to share on Monday, May 8th, but in the meantime, if you make, bake, grow, raise or wild-harvest your products, you can apply here: https://goo.gl/forms/9Vxgtrw9MrvsrBN22,” the Local Food Initiative said on its Facebook page. “Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis and a selection committee will review the applications.”
A statement issued by the LFI on Monday morning, May 8, said policies outlining the rules of the market will be available in the next day or so, but in the meantime, vendors who make, bake, grow, raise or wild-harvest their products can apply through the LFI website at www.revelstokelocalfood.com. A selection committee will review the applications on a first-come basis, with only 25 stalls available, and only three of them having access to power. To enable vulnerable citizens to utilize the Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program with LFI market vendors, the market will apply to be a member of the BC Association of Farmers Markets.
LFI Coordinator Melissa Hemphill said the group is still working on a name for the new market, which grew out of this spring’s controversy over the exclusion of Hermann and Louise Bruns’ Wildflight Farm.
The City is establishing a new no-parking zone along Mackenzie from 6:30 am until 1:30 pm during market days.
“We are super excited to be providing this service to our community,” the LFI said.
So, too, was Hermann Brunswho sent out an enthusiastic message to his many local customers;
“This is very positve news for the LFI, the nine volunteers on the market steering committee, and certainly for us to be able to continue bringing our organic vegetables to Revelstoke. It is also exciting to contemplate what the new market might do differently given the broad, enthusiastic, community representation. Time will tell on that front.
“In the meantime, we are really looking forward to the first market next Saturday. And there is quite a lot of interest from other vendors as well… Terra Firma Farms (organic vegetables), Bird-Tree Farm (flowers and vegetables), Monashee Spirits (no description needed), and Hoisington Organic Farm (chicken and eggs) just to name a few.”
