Presque Isle Farmers’ Market: Hello and goodbye
Members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market cover the gamut in terms of the products they grow and sell; we have “meat guys” (two of whom are girls, but they answer anyway), we have “dairy lady” and “egg lady” and “honey guy” who is also “tree guy” during transplant season, as well as “flower lady” married to “garlic guy.” There are numerous “vegetable guys and girls.”
Of course, we would be delighted if we were all so busy every Saturday morning in the Aroostook Centre Mall parking lot that we didn’t have enough time to think a complete thought, much less pontificate on our latest political theory or personal philosophy. But it isn’t always insanely busy (bummer!) and as a result, we sometimes have time between “gusts” of customers to visit a bit back and forth between our stands. Thus, we get to know one another fairly well over time.
So it is a bitter-sweet experience to lose our Market friends for whatever reason. This summer, we “lost” Kim and Tim Stokdijk to a business opportunity in Nova Scotia; Kim stopped by this summer with her son, David, to say hello and to tell us a little bit about the family’s experiences getting their new hydroponic greenhouse enterprise under way. Linda Mansfield, “the mushroom lady” of Mushrooms, Herbs, Preserves, Inc., headed south to New Hampshire (back home for her) in early July to be closer to family. She said before she left that she would be doing a mail-order mushroom business as soon as she was settled. We will be looking for news of that. Sigrid Houlette stops to visit with her young boys on occasion, but is now employed as a district coordinator for the St. John Valley Soil and Water Conservation District rather than “slaving” for Steve Miller. Among other parts of her job, she encourages families to eat right and teaches them how.
These good-byes leave our feelings a bit mixed; while we wish them well, we will miss them.
The regrets are tempered, however, by hellos to new businesses and new faces like another generation of “Goughan Girls” who (wo)man the familiar sky blue van filled with hanging baskets, vegetables, and berries. We have added Phil and Jackie Doak to the roster, bringing delicious cuts of lamb, a wide variety of jams and jellies, and other delectable treats. Craig and Amy Inniger have sent several pairs of new faces to market goods from The Country Bakery. Christine and John O’Meara of O’Meara Family Farm are actually both coming and going, renewing their acquaintance after a few years away. Christine, particularly, returned with fresh ideas in terms of marketing (would we ever have ventured onto the web and Facebook without her willingness to put us there?) even as she brings us fresh dairy products and cheeses “to die for.”
To these folks, we say “Welcome to the family!” and look forward to visiting with them along with the “old timers.”
The Presque Isle Farmers Market welcomes any and all farmers and growers interested in participating (check out information on the website and/or contact Steve Miller). We look forward to a day when we fill the whole end of the Mall parking lot with old and new faces to offer a variety of goods to our customers, with old and new faces there as well.
Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market.
