Moose Jaw’s Farmer’s Markets open for business, now through Thanksgiving

The Homegrown Farmer’s Market on Langdon Crescent and the Wakamow Valley Farmer’s Market next to the Kiwanis River Pavilion held their first markets of the season on Saturday, May 25, and will continue every Saturday, rain or shine, until Thanksgiving. 

The Homegrown market goes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and maintains a traditional focus on homegrown, handmade items. The Wakamow market is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to all vendors, handmade or not. 

“The market is off to a wonderful start, we have a group of new vendors and a core group of returning vendors and a lovely crowd down here today,” said Julie-Annie Howe. Howe was at her Bar Over HC honey stand, selling many varieties of flavour and texture from her family beehives. She is a member of the Homegrown Market executive committee. 

Julie-Anne Howe selling honey products from Bar Over HC (photo by Gordon Edgar)

“We would like to welcome our new members — we have a jewelry vendor, we have a new soap vendor ... McMahon Colony is back, and it’s a little-known secret that they actually have beef for sale here, too, so you can come down, you can get your veggies, your baking, and everything for your Saturday night BBQ right here at the market.” 

Howe added that the Homegrown Market is excited to have a rotating cast of four buskers providing live entertainment throughout the season. 

“It’s good to come out here and get all the people together every Saturday, it’s very enjoyable to visit with people and see the different vendors and all that,” said Tim Waldner from the McMahon Hutterite Colony. 

“At this time of year, obviously there’s only so much fresh produce, but we also sell our naturally aged beef, we sell pork and beef sausages, and once we get later on into the season, we’ll sell pretty anything you’d want that comes out of the garden — fruits, veggies, you name it.”

The McMahon Hutterite Colony sells a variety of farm produce, including beef, pork, and just about anything you'd want out of a garden (photo by Gordon Edgar)

At the Wakamow Valley Farmer’s Market, Donna MacQuarrie-Bye, general manager of the Wakamow Valley Authority, said she was grateful for the good weather and encouraged everyone to come out.  

“Day one is going surprisingly smooth, with a few surprises, so we had a few more vendors show up than we expected, which just adds to the experience. ... And you couldn’t ask for better weather for our first market day, it’s beautiful today.” 

“One of our objectives this year is to have events going on at the same time as the farmer’s market, to bring more traffic down to Wakamow, bring the community, and support Moose Jaw’s other non-profit organizations. ... Watch our Facebook page for any changes or any updates. ... There’s lots going on!”

Jasmin Westermann was running her ‘Sparkle and Pop’ store stand at Wakamow, helped by her children and her mother. 

Jasmin Westermann and her children staffing their Sparkle and Pop store at the Wakamow Farmer's Market (photo by Gordon Edgar)

“We started last year,” Westermann explained. “We were actually ‘Popcorn and Unicorns’ and we had a popcorn stand, and we just noticed, there’s nothing down at the farmer’s markets for children. 

“So, we decided to make surprise bags, and we have goodies for the kids, we have balloons and popcorn and drinks, and this is our second year down here.”