By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The Caribou Farmers’ Market is scheduled to be back in business starting at the beginning of May this year. Many ideas were shared during a recent meeting on the topic, formally and informally, but the prevailing theme centered around connecting residents of the greater Caribou area with healthy, locally grown foods at a reasonable price.
Organized by market coordinator Jenny Coon, director of the Caribou Chamber of Commerce, the first Caribou Farmers’ Market meeting on Jan. 25 drew over a dozen active participants. The market’s rules were discussed openly and Coon asked for thoughts regarding the possibility of opening the market to a small amount of crafters.
The consensus among the participating vendors was that giving residents of the Caribou area an increased opportunity to “shop local” was a good thing, while the vendors and Coon both agreed that the market’s focus needs to remain on connecting the community with fresh grown fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products and specialty “processed” foods — jams, jellies baked goods and other farm-fresh products of that nature.
To keep a good vendor-to-crafter ratio at the market, the group agreed to create a “percentage rule” establishing what portion of vendors can sell crafts.
Coon established that the fee to become a vendor at the Caribou Farmers’ Market is $60 if paid on or before Tuesday, May 1 (the fee becomes $65 if paid after that date). The first 25 vendors signed up for the market will have half their fee covered by the Cary Medical Center Healthy Heart Program.
Those in attendance at the meeting also discussed ways to increase awareness of the market, which is scheduled this year for Wednesday evenings from 3 – 6 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The market will be again located in the parking lot of 159 Bennett Drive.
Additional information about the Caribou Farmers’ Market can be obtained by calling 498-6156 or contacting cacc@cariboumaine.net.
