The Innisfil Farmers’ Market celebrated seniors – and apples – this week.
The bakeries at the market all contributed free snacks for seniors, including chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread and banana muffins — and seniors and other visitors were challenged to an apple-peeling competition.
Anyone who could beat the 'record' of 76 centimetres, set by market manager Jaime Grant, could win a prize of Market Dollars.
And kids were invited to participate in an apple treasure hunt. They could collect a different sticker at each booth that displayed a hard-to-spot apple decoration, and once they collected six stickers, they received a prize: a juicy apple.
It was a great day, says Grant.
Sweet corn was in season, this year's apples were ready, artisans joined the regular vendors – “and the best thing about today is that the monarch butterflies are migrating,” she said. “They all came in droves across the market today. I take that for a good sign.”
The weather was also perfect on Thursday, bringing shoppers to the outdoor market.
“It was really well-attended,” said Grant. “We’ve been able to gift many seniors with our home-made snacks and apple cider.”
The Innisfil Farmers’ Market meets every Thursday afternoon, in the south parking lot of the Innisfil Recreational Complex at Innisfil Beach Road and Yonge Street, from 1 to 6 p.m.
Oct. 10 will be a Harvest Festival and the final day of the outdoor market; then the market moves indoors, inside the recreation complex, until Dec. 19.
This year’s market has been experimenting, trying out some new partnerships. For two or three Fridays, market vendors were invited to set up at Tanger Outlet Mall.
“It was a lovely experiment,” Grant said, noting that the mall also brought in stiltwalkers and a band, to make the event even more special.
A number of Innisfil residents from west of Highway 400 thanked vendors for coming to a closer location, she said.
Grant wasn’t sure if Fridays at Tanger Mall will become a regular feature, at this point in time.
“We’re looking at all the options, so we can better serve the community,” she said.
