By Andria Lee Winters
James Bay Market Manager
It certainly is spring time for those of us who are planning the market and this season things are looking better than ever. Not only do we have most of our performers booked, we have a ton of returning vendors signed up, and requests for new vendors are coming in daily. Yes, spring is on its way and we are soooooo ready for it!
While we have enjoyed an extremely mild winter, with temperatures encouraging the buds to bloom early, summer season can’t come soon enough. Yes, it was odd to see cherry blossoms on Boxing Day out front of the convention centre, but it was even odder to experience snow on 3 separate occasions this winter.
Unsure how the season will unfold weather wise, the rain is needed now if we are to enjoy the summer that we did last year. Let it be known that for all 6 months of the 2013 market season, we only had one Saturday of rain. Whew! We were lucky.
So, as spring slowly unfolds the artisans are busy preparing new works to dazzle us with and the bakers are trying out new recipes to tempt us with. Musicians are practicing new songs, volunteers are scheduling their Saturdays, and crafters are in full production. Yes, it most certainly is spring!
And so, as the flowers bloom, the farmer’s plant seeds and Mother Nature lends her hand to the shedding of winter, we, the market folks are anticipating and planning to bring to the James Bay community the best season we’ve had to date. If you build it, they will come! We are building it and we know that you’ll join us.
As members of Tourism Victoria and the BC Farmers Association, we the locals, encourage you to join us for market season in whatever way feels like a match. Join us as a vendor, sign up to volunteer, come shop locally, bring your visitors and spread the word that the James Bay Market offers the best of farm fresh produce, hosts some of the islands greatest talent, and loves to share in the magic and bounty of west coast living.
The answer is yes, it is spring, and as spring turns into summer, so too does the planning of the market turn into the reality that on Saturday’s the best place to be is at the James Bay Community Market. Opening day is Saturday, May 3rd so mark your calendars and we’ll see you all in just a few weeks time for good food, great music and a ton of fun times!
