Farmers Market

     This past Saturday we as a class went and observed the Bloomington farmers market. It was a long walk and very hot but I think it was well worth the work. My town hosts a farmers market a couple of times in the summer but when I heard that this market happens every Saturday, it blew my mind. I started to imagine how much work it has to be for these venders and musicians to come out every Saturday and make their living. I respected all the work the venders and farmers had put into this event and it has been the most interesting part of IFS so far because of its diverse gathering of people and common love for small town business. I mean where else can you get a BBQ sandwich for 5 dollars or a fresh peach for 25 cents. This was my first time going to the farmers market but it sure won’t be my last. On my map I tried to show the flow and placement of families and children as well as the strategic location of all the tents and events. It’s easy to see that the most concentrated area of kids was around the fountain and dog adoption center. This was a perfect area for kids to relax and play in the shade while the parents went and sampled some tomatoes at the near tent. The adults and parents were not as solitary as the children, as they walked up and down each isle and always buzzed towards the music areas. The only area where I felt like there was an absence of people was the political/community involvement tents on the bottom side of the map. This might have been because they were out in the open in the sun with no relief of shade unlike the produce tents but what every the reason being, not many people flocked to those tents.

            The music had to be one of my favorite parts of the farmers market and it was easy to see that everyone else enjoyed it to. The first song that I heard from across the market was wagon wheel which is one of my favorites and this genre fits the part perfectly. I also noticed the unique instruments that these performers had. One had a goofy guitar and a harmonica while the other had a large bass. Not the instruments that I would expect but the simplicity of them really fit the scene. I was talking to one of the vendors and I commented on how good I thought the performers were and he mentioned that one of them is in the Jacob School of Music. I found this very interesting and unique for this student to be both a student at college and a performer at a small evet such as this to make a few bucks. His talent really showed when he was playing and it brings no surprise to me that he is in a school with such high esteem. The position of the three music areas was spread out and uniquely placed to gather the attention of a lot of people, but this is a double edge sword. As people gathered at the vendors because they were drawn in with music, people stood and listened to the performers after they were drawn in by the produce. This relationship can be described in the environmental science world as mutualism, meaning that both parties benefit from each other’s work.

            The food was also a favorite part of mine partially because of the price. We walked around for a while and after sweating in the sun some fantastic looking peaches caught our eye. The sign said $4 for a box of peaches but we only wanted a couple so the young lady behind the counter was content with selling four for a dollar. As I’ve started to become an adult and understand the lifestyle of a college student, I’ve also started to be more responsible for my money and knowing that I can get fresh fruit and food at little cost to me is very exciting. After enjoying our peaches we started to crave a more substantial lunch. We had moved from the produce and flower sections to the lunch tents on the southern side of the map. Here I got a fantastic pulled pork sandwich for five dollars with home raised pork and homemade sauce. It put Greshem food to shame and I can’t wait to go back and sample more home grown cuisine.

            The Bloomington farmers market is a unique treasure that many people never get to experience and those that do can appreciate. The healthy relationship between music, business, and politics can be seen as all parties benefit from each other and I think if more of the country and world were like this then the feelings of going to the farmers market would be expressed and felt by everyone. There is also a participatory aspect that is also felt while walking around the market. It’s expected of everyone to contribute to the market. This may be by selling something, buying something, or just being involved and having conversation. It even feels awkward not to participate in small town business commerce and to just stand to the side watching. There is a great deal of bonding/understanding that can happen between consumers and farmers such as the ones at the Bloomington market and it’s something that needs to be felt by everyone.