ST. PAUL – This year is a major milestone for the St. Paul Friday Farmers Market as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Monique Bardal, president of the farmers’ market board, said when she was researching the history of the farmer’s market, she found out that it was kick-started by Louise Plante in 1974.
Plante, speaking with Lakeland This Week, said she was the secretary-treasurer for the agricultural society at the time. She said the Government of Alberta of the time reached out to agricultural societies to help establish farmers’ markets across the province.
“Nobody was interested in getting involved,” she recalls, so establishing the farmers’ market fell on her lap, but the agricultural society did put out an ad in the paper to help the market gain traction.
Initial interest was slow, she said, with many regulations put out by the government. These regulations, according to Plante, created some challenges garnering interest from the community.
She recalls at one time that a couple from Ashmont came to sell chickens but was unable to sell any because health regulations dictated that the innards, the head, as well as the feet of a chicken must remain attached to prove that it was fresh.
No one wanted to buy the chickens, she explained, since no one wanted to remove the innards.
“I was kind of disappointed. I thought – how are we going to get this going?”
Thankfully, Plante said that some members of the community got the ball rolling and formed a board of directors for the farmers’ market, including founding members Julia Petruk and Mary Mistol.
“I just dropped back and left them,” said Plante, noting she was busy with her family, at the time.
Plante did not want to take any credit for the farmers’ market’s current success, owing it instead to the “ladies” who worked hard to keep the farmers’ market going.
But Bardal argued that Plante's efforts laid the foundation for what would become a thriving venue of exchange in the community.
Since 1974, Bardal said the St. Paul Farmers’ Market has evolved and grown, even needing to split into two to meet community demand.
“So, instead of just one market on a Friday, [there is] also one on a Wednesday . . . making it a little bit more easily accessible,” said Bardal.
The St. Paul Midweek Farmers' Market is separate from the Friday market and is held at St. Paul Senior Citizens Centre every Wednesday.
Today, both markets boast a diverse array of local vendors, selling everything from baked goods and preserves to handcrafted artisan items. Bardal encourages the community to come and check them out.
Regular vendor Dellis Foisy, who has been part of the St. Paul Friday Farmers Market for over six years, says the sense of community is what keeps vendors and customers coming back.
“We're all kind of like family here. We all help each other out. If somebody's looking for something, we always direct them to the table where they're at,” Foisy said. “We help each other up.”
