Farmers’ market returning to Exhibition
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on June 8, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com Lethbridge and District Exhibition has announced the return of the Farmers’ Market for its 2023 season to begin Saturday at the North Pavilion.“We’re excited to kick it off this weekend June 10 and it’ll go through Thanksgiving weekend, and then in a few weeks we’re going to kick off the downtown (market) on July 10 and run it through the first week of September,” said Mike Warkentin, CEO of Lethbridge and District Exhibition.
He said this year they have over 75 vendors, but that will change once they get into the full peak of produce season and more vendors are able to participate.
Warkentin added that once they are able, the Exhibition will be transferring the market to the new Agri-Food Hub, which he expects will bring an influx of visitors to the market with people stopping by to check out the new facility.
“We’ll work with the vendors on moving timelines, we’ll give them as much notice as we can. Obviously, we’re at the mercy a little bit of a construction schedule and still dealing with some supply chain things, but we will be communicating with the vendors as best we can on the move over to the new building,” said Warkentin.
When it comes to the downtown Farmers’ Market, Warkentin said it is a different element for them as it gets them off the Exhibition grounds and allows the organization to connect with the community in a different way.
“In some ways it’s a give back to the revitalization of downtown, give back in that we don’t traditionally get seen as an organization that moves off the park, so it’s a special opportunity for us to participate in the community in a different way,” said Warkentin.
He said the Farmers’ Market is important to them as it takes the Exhibition back to city’s roots of an agriculture society.
“It allows us to connect one-on-one at a consumer level and support a lot of local agricultural entrepreneurs. We have local producers, we have local craft artisans, 80 per cent of the market is people who either grow it or make it here in southern Alberta. It is an incredibly important thing for us to be able to showcase their products and get those out to market here in the community,” said Warkentin.
Warkentin believes the demand for the products offered at the Farmers’ Market will continue to be present regardless of inflation and the rise of prices, as people in recent years have become more interested in where their food is coming from and in supporting local.
“I think there is certainly a group of people that love the Farmers’ Market and wait for it every year. I do see that demand continuing and I think the Farmers’ Market is a very special thing that it’s being going for the last 50 years in the market,” said Warkentin.
 He said many people always go to the same Hutterite colony every year for their carrots on Saturdays, or when it’s pickling season they want to get their cucumbers from a particular market, and therefore he believes the market will not only remain intact, but it will continue to grow.
 “As food security and some of those things become more the forefront of conversation in the coming years, I think people are going to become more aware of where their food comes from, and to be able to provide that opportunity to the local consumers but also to the local producers and vendors it’s a very important piece of our mandate here at Lethbridge and District Exhibition,” said Warkentin.
The Saturday market will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature fresh produce, baked goods, homemade crafts, among other things. Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter 4
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