Fredericton Farmers Market

This is the perfect time of year to venture forth and visit the many lovely towns and cities in our Maritime Region and to sample all the varied pleasures that make each community, no matter how large or small - unique! In addition to all the tried and true attractions and tourist lures, a visit to each community’s farmers market will help to spotlight the gifts and talents of the local populace and to showcase the special qualities that make each community stand apart and yet share in that "down-home" spirit we all have in common.

This week, we visit the Framers Market in the fair provincial capital of Fredericton and I will highlight a number of memorable vendors who stand out from usual fare. A huge vendor community caters to the Saturday morning crowd anxious to share in camaraderie, indulge in a weekly revelry of festivity, and welcome visitors to their city. Exuding friendly warmth and enthusiasm, many vendors hail from smaller communities in a radius outside the city proper, bringing with them those qualities and talents that go to make up a diverse and strong presence the Farmers Market enjoys in Fredericton today, nurtured steadily since its inception in 1951.

Located in the heart of the City Centre on George Street, the Fredericton Farmers Market is easily accessible via the major thoroughfare of Regent Street. A thriving hub of activity, this wonderful venue has scores of booths, tables, and kiosks offering a tempting array of treats and treasures ranging from fresh produce, organically grown vegetables, greenhouse flowers, luscious meats and eggs, fresh fruit smoothies and juices, handcrafted chocolate truffles, sumptuous cheesecakes, soothing bath products, lovely artwork and photography, stained glass, pewter and pottery, wooden crafts and furniture, leather goods, knitted and sewn clothing, hats and accessories including wonderful Guatemalan piecework vests and hats, any number of exciting jewellery booths, and a huge food court area in the outdoor section with sausages, hot dogs, somosas.

An amazing display of Pewter by Floyd Johnston’s Rustic Pewter showcases wonderful ornamental and utilitarian pieces all carefully handcrafted with every attention to detail. Key rings, letter openers, small ornaments and jewellery are all offered by this independently owned company which also sells wholesale and deals with custom work and repairs. Hailing from Durham Bridge, NB, they are a great example of excellence in craftsmanship.

Fanciful pottery pieces by Stillwell Pottery of Keswick Ridge will make wonderful decorative accents for your home or terrific gifts to family and friends with unique motifs from nature on some pieces and unusual burnt finishes on others. Equally lovely is the pottery of Liz Demerson of Demerson Pottery with specialties in lead-free, dishwasher, oven, and microwave safe bowls, dishes and mugs as well as lovely vases and trays in porcelain with unique square shapes displaying leaf motifs - straight from nature!

Canadian best-selling author Peter D. Clark of Penniac Books, who hails from Durham Bridge, NB, is simply amazing! A regular fixture at the Market each week, this multi-talented writer is a literacy advocate, master storyteller, Terry Fox enthusiast - having traversed our great country in honour of Terry Fox (by car) - , and flytier extraordinaire! Dubbed "the New Brunswick Apostle" by CBC television’s "Culture Shock," Mr. Clark has been featured nationally on television documentaries, in newspapers, on radio, and most recently, internationally on television’s "Mystery Hunters" with Dungarvon Whooper. A mentor to schoolchildren everywhere, Mr. Clark conducts tours of schools to share his wonderful storytelling skills with enthusiastic children. No visit to Fredericton Farmers Market will be complete without a visit with Mr. Clark - New Brunswick’s very own writer-in-residence!

Our tour continues with Clifford Walton and Jim Lister of Lincoln, NB, whose Barnwood Crafts carries birdhouses that are simply magical. Skilfully crafted from old barn boards and found objects these beautiful and rustic houses utilize antique doorknobs, hinges, nails, and other items such as galvanized tin and old license plates in oddly imaginative ways to create items of intriguing beauty. The work boot birdhouse made from an actual boot is a best seller and reminds one of "the old lady who lived in a shoe." A miniature birdie "outhouse" even boasts a two-seater - all that’s missing is the Eaton’s catalogues! Looking for an unusual gift item? Barnwood Crafts has just the item for you!

Sabine Wieczorek of Gagetown, NB, is a very interesting and inventive person and these qualities translate themselves wonderfully in her lovely hats, shawls, and scarves with matching gloves, mittens, and hand-warmers. An industrious person, she processes her own unusual yarns from farm animals, including special cow hair yarn from her own herd of Scottish Highland Cattle. A champion of women’s rights, Sabine fashions hats and shawls made from shredded 100% silk sari material imported from Nepal in a bid to aid foreign women in crisis. Offered in vibrant colours and unusual textures, her items are a cut above any similarly featured items. Sabine is also an advocate of healthful buckwheat and flaxseed pillows that offer relief from headaches, muscle stress, neck and back pain and more! By moulding itself to your body shape these pillows offer support for the head and neck area with benefits for the entire spine. Restful and relaxing, the flaxseed pillow in particular can be heated or frozen to offer hot or cold pain therapy. Even the domestic diva, Martha Stewart, uses one nightly to prop up her head as she reads in bed before lights out!

Marketgoers are treated to musical entertainment in the outdoor area by master fiddler George Steeves. A recent graduate of UNB’s educational program, George hails from Hillsborough, NB, where he claims a close affiliation with the famous Steeves dynasty which settled this New Brunswick community in the 1700's. A virtuoso on the fiddle, his Celtic tunes and country airs help to brighten up an already sunny experience at the market. Trained under the tutelage of this province’s famous musical duo of Ivan and Vivian Hicks, George’s musical contribution to the market is truly a treat.

The Cheese Market carries a wide array of cheese, including Italian and French cheeses and, of course, top quality Canadian-made cheeses, some with veins of real maple syrup and blueberries incorporated into the textures of these fine cheeses. Other booths offering locally made cheeses include authentic Dutch flavours in cheesemaking as many new immigrants to the area bring their own unique customs to the marketplace.

Lovely china made in New Brunswick by Atlantic Canada’s only china giftware company - Crown Ashton of Lincoln, NB, closely emulates the British tradition of creating fine china giftware in porcelain featuring tea pots, miniatures, figurines, mugs, thimbles, and spoons, the display at the Market offers a veritable cornucopia of wonderful items for the collector and for gifts for family and friends.

Local Fredericton artists Julia and Victoria Kirkby undoubtedly have one of the most colourful kiosks at the Market. Gaia Designs features lovely prints in bright rainbow colours in a psychedelic style very reminiscent of the late 1960's. Greeting cards, posters and standard-sized prints ready for framing will make excellent gifts guaranteed to brighten up anyone’s day. Next time you visit the Market, stop by Gaia Designs - it’s like looking through a kaleidoscope.

And finally, a display of worth has got to be Artisan Soapworks by Tracy Price. Featuring skilfully crafted and beautifully packaged soaps in any number of amazing combinations of scents and fine ingredients, Tracy has taken the time to produce soaps that will enhance any skin type and condition. For example, her "Goat and Oat" soap is specially prepared for sensitive or problematic skin, and her scented soaps offer soothing relaxation. Beautifully wrapped and packaged for gift-giving, treat yourself or a friend to the gift of luxury from Artisan Soapworks!

It is almost impossible to cover every vendor in a city I don’t visit on a regular basis and this article offers just a small sample of what the Fredericton Farmers Market has to offer. I have visited this venue on three occasions and I am delighted every time by the calibre of fine craftsmanship and warmth the market extends to regulars and visitors alike. I hope to feature new vendors on subsequent visits and eventually cover those not mentioned this time as it is difficult to interrupt sales to get information on a busy Saturday morning. In closing, may I say that the feeling of friendship at the Fredericton Farmers Market is palpable and is felt by customers and fellow vendors alike. In the words of Sabine Wieczorek, "Our market has a strong sense of community which exists between the vendors and very often we help each other in promoting each other’s product in the marketplace and continue a feeling of the fellowship we feel outside the market in our private lives as well. Often we can’t wait for Saturdays to meet and greet each other. We are certainly one big, happy family." Indeed, it is that feeling of fellowship that has formed the basis for the success and has contributed in no small measure to the longevity of Fredericton’s own Farmers Market.