Salem Saturday Market
I'm very behind on posting lately - spring cleaning and life has kept me away, but I definitely want to make sure that I keep the posting up!
This last Saturday, we decided to make a quick trip to the Salem Saturday Market. I am not as familiar with the Salem market as the Eugene one, because for years we have taken road trips down to Eugene for their farmer's market (as well as a quick stop into Ben and Jerry's!). It's probably been 2-3 years since I've been back to Salem's Saturday Market.
What is really nice about the Salem market is their parking. I really appreciate easy parking in the gravel lot just across the street that provides easy in and out.
We got going much later on Saturday morning than expected so by the time we made it to the market there was just a little over an hour until it closed so I'm sure we missed out on the early morning bounty. I had a list in mind of things I wanted to get: basil (and lots of it to make some homemade pesto!), maybe some carrots, peas and beans. Unfortunately though, I wasn't able to find any of those things (could only find basil plants and only 1 stand had some peas).
One huge advantage that Salem has over Eugene is wide walking areas making it easier to maneuver through the crowds.
Organization is a bit lacking - I would much prefer to have the farmer's market stands in one area, hot food in another and homemade goods in another so I wouldn't have to walk the entire market if I only wanted to go to the farmer stands.
I didn't spot any restrooms while we were walking, but I'm sure that they were around somewhere.
There is a Friends of Salem Saturday Market site that lists some upcoming free events, but none specific geared towards kids. It'd be great to see some activities maybe like how the Ag Fest provides!
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1 comments:
Thanks for your comments about SSM. We are not like the Eugene markets in that they are two separate organizations - the Lane County Farmers' Market and the Eugene Saturday Market. Run by different rules, different boards, have different goals, etc. Our organization is like having both of those combined into one.
While it may not seem organized at first, if you come regularly to SSM you will see most vendors in the same location each week. Our vendors select their location at the beginning of the season, with those with the most seniority given priority in the choice of space(s). So the vendors have chosen where they want to be, SSM does not assign them a location. And I'm sure their choices are made based on what works best for them during set-up and breakdown, re-stocking their booth and attempting not to be right next door to their closest competitors (i.e. berry vendors usually don't prefer to be right next to other berry vendors). And regular customers know where to find their favorite farmers and if they are short on time they can go exactly to their booths and not walk the entire market.
We do have 7 port-a-pottees and 3 handwashing stations with 6 sinks brought into the market each Saturday. They are located in the NW corner of the market, close to the entertainment and handicap parking.
I hope this addresses your concerns and, while the Friends just started organizing events at the market this season, I'm sure kid-friendly events will be on their short-list before long. Thanks, Colleen Walker, Administrative Coordinator, SSM
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