By Andria Lee Winters
James Bay Market Manager and Dickens Fair Coordinator

At this time of the year as we celebrate the fall harvest, we can in this part of the world celebrate the abundance that we are gifted with each and every day.  At the James Bay Market, we are blessed to have access to fresh local produce, take pleasure in local artisans and their creations, and enjoy the multitude of local talent that exists in our own backyards.

We also are blessed to live in a beautiful part of the world where clean drinking water is abundant, the ocean breeze keeps our air clean, and the climate allows for outside activity year round. Add to the mix, a strong community with the James Bay Market, the James Bay Community Center and School,  the James Bay Community Closet, the James Bay New Horizons Center for Senior’s and the James Bay Project for Alternative Health, and we can see that community is alive and well in James Bay.

So as we share the abundance of the fall harvest and celebrate locally for Thanksgiving, a reminder is offered to focus on the things that matter most. Supporting others in our community, caring for the environment, offering compassion towards all life, and celebrating the many gifts that we are blessed with as members of the James Bay community, these are all things which we can focus upon with gratitude.

As the summer market season ends, we can take great comfort in knowing that for those of us who choose to support the JBM, that we have done our part in creating community. With the 33^rd Annual Dickens Fair, an extension of the summer market, scheduled for December 7^th, we once again will have an opportunity to share, support and encourage handmade, homemade and homegrown, all tenets which make for a strong, healthy and vital community.

With this said, a hug of gratitude goes out to all the vendors, musicians, volunteers and YOU, the members of the community, who believe that what you give is what you get. In giving your time, energy and effort to the JBM, you have made a difference in your own backyard. And for this we say thank you! With bells and baubles, we’ll see you on Thanksgiving weekend at the last James Bay Market of the 2013 season.

Note: The James Bay Market is hosting Harvest Fest on Oct.12, the last market of the season. The 33^rd Annual Dickens Fair is set for December 7^th and we are currently accepting applications for vendors and volunteers. Visit jamesbaymarket.com for details.