Karen Cooper
Market Manager, Avon Community Farmers’ Market
(902) 579-7652
avoncommunitymarket@gmail.com
Avon Community Farmers’ Market feeds souls locally
The Avon Community Farmers Market is a small but mighty collection of vendors who take over Windsor Nova Scotia’s large and impressive Victoria Park every Sunday from June to October. As an open-air outdoor market with the sprawling lawns, picnic benches and shade of the park’s mature trees, it’s the perfect safe place to get out for a walk and enjoy the fresh air, rain or shine.
“Sprinkles don’t stop us from running,” says Karen Cooper, the market’s manager.
2021 will mark the market’s fourth season, with the founding core group of about 20 vendors returning. With increased “buy local” awareness, and its spacious outdoor layout the Avon Community Farmers Market expects to continue to thrive during Covid again this year.
The market offers food, crafts, a sense of community, and of course craft beer. Each Sunday, live local music fills the air while you have a coffee and a date square, and catch up with neighbours.
“We’ve heard stories of people not knowing they were neighbours until they figured it out at the market. A market is food and crafts, but it’s really about a sense of community,” says Cooper. “When you’re able to talk to the vendors themselves about their products, it turns the experience into more than just buying eggs.”
“Farmers’ markets are so much more than just a perfect place to shop for amazing local food and goods,” says Justin Cantafio, Executive Director of Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia. “They’re also small business incubators, job creators, and the social and cultural hubs of their respective communities.”
The market was established to give people in the Windsor area the opportunity to buy and sell local. Bruce Wright, one of the founding farm vendors and board members is a huge fan of agriculture in Hants county. “I think the opportunities for farming in Hants county are amazing,” says Wright.
“Falmouth is full of little farms, down the shore has tons of farms,” Cooper says. “You don’t have to go to the Wolfville or Halifax markets to get those great things. We have beautiful beef, amazing chicken and eggs.”
Artisanal vendors provide unique locally sourced crafts. From handmade soaps to jewelry, woodwork to hooked rugs, the opportunity to treat yourself abound.
The Victoria Park location is walking distance from downtown, but there many loyal customers who drive from more than 20 minutes away. “We have a wonderful couple come every week, and when they are not there, I worry about them,” says Wright. “On my birthday, they gave me a card!”
Wright believes the market’s board and Cooper have done a great job making multiple generations feel welcome. “I like that I can bring my grandson to this market. It’s safe for him to run around,” says Wright. “My grandson is three years-old and loves to be with daddy on the tractor at the farm.”
Cooper, originally from nearby Ellerhouse, fondly remembers pancake breakfasts in her youth. “Even when I lived in the city, I would come up here for that breakfast”. She hopes that families are making new memories of their experiences with the Avon “small by choice” farmers’ markets. The market has started introducing interactive craft stations for kids, in an attempt to foster this sense of connection.
“Are kids going to remember they bought some kind of weird kale that day, probably not,” says Cooper. “But they will remember they got to run around outside and kick a ball or blow bubbles while their parents shopped.”
As Nova Scotians enter a second summer of “new normal” the Avon Community Farmer’s Market offers a safe and welcoming way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Vendors hope to feed your soul, locally, and encourage inclusive community connection, one date square at a time.
