So many were involved in making the farmer’s market successful

To the Editor:

The leaves are almost gone from the trees and I can feel the cold air hanging around longer. Sunlight no longer surrounds me as I prepare dinner. The many colors of summer and fall are slowly replaced by browns and white and the starkness of winter. Soon hearty bean soups will replace our salads once filled with freshly picked fruits and vegetables. This is as it should be in New England. Winter is a time for nestling in, a time to rest and replenish, readying with the earth to awake again in spring.
The farmers’ market is also ended for this growing season. Gone are the colored tents filled with that morning’s harvest. But like spring, it will be back with renewed vigor.

Looking back, from my first vision of a farmers’ market in Bedford, I imagined much of what it turned out to be. I saw the tents, I imagined the dizzying array of greens, reds, oranges, yellows and purples in the berries, tomatoes, beans, peppers, squashes, flowers and more which would be displayed for sale.
I smelled the aroma of fresh coffee, heard the chatter of the farmers, and felt the serenity of being outdoors.
But I never imagined the people the young kids laughing and chasing each other, the older folk out for a leisurely afternoon, men and women wanting to slow it down, if just for a bit, the wonderful chatter, among neighbors, old friends, new acqaintances, the new connections between farmer and shopper.

I never could have imagined how much the market would mean to its visitors. And I could never have imagined how much the visitors would mean to the market.

What made this market? The best steering committee ever Christine Moser, on board from the very beginning with her never-ending energy and enthusiasm, and Kirsten Romano, Honey Weiss, Linda Lin, Jill Powers, Greg Rehme and Bill Winn. They continually amazed me with their ideas, their dedication and their talents.

Our sponsors, whose belief in this project was so important, and ensured that we could fund the project: Thank you again to Centrix Bank & Trust, Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center (BASC). Bedford Neighborhood Club, Olde Towne Day and Bedford Garden Club. Special thanks for our wonderful banner to Mike Robinson and Joe Matta of GDS signs. Thanks also to Goedeke’s and to UnWined’s very own and locally grown Scott Kinney for all those tasty samples! The town of Bedford was incredibly supportive. Thanks to Keith Hickey, Brian Ross and Martha Gaudes.

Thanks again to the Bedford Town Council for its support. And, of course, a most heart-felt thanks to our farmers and other vendors, especially those who signed on from the beginning, without having any way to judge whether Bedford would support a farmers’ market.
So what made the Bedford Farmers’ Market? Without a doubt, all these people and businesses in varying ways, joined together to form the market. But once formed, what nourished this market? You did, the people in this and surrounding towns all of you who came to the market. Our community sustained and nurtured this market and its farmers. And in the end, it is because of you that the market will return next year.

So thank you from all of us, the farmers, the steering committee, the sponsors, and the town. Thank you! At the beginning we asked you to come to the market and help us grow.

You did and we grew to over 20 vendors! But you did more than that. You made a little magic happen right here in Bedford.
You came together and formed a “place” a gathering place for the town.

It’s a place where we come together because of our shared appreciation for what the market is the fresh air, the fresh food, the beautiful flowers and indeed each other all of it and us the blessings of this earth.

We’re coming back next year. Our pumpkin-decorating activity and our trick-or-treat with the farmers are now annual events at the market, with special thanks to those participating nonprofit groups. We’re planning so much else more music and a place to kick back, more celebrations.

We’re thinking about even more meaningful ways to be part of the community and we’ll share them with you as they become more fully developed. We can’t wait to start planting whoops, I mean planning so that we’ll be ready for next season.
We want to give back to you for all you have given us, for you made our vision come alive with more color and wonder than we ever could have imagined. Thank you, and see you at the market next June.

Deb Sklar
Bedford

So many were involved in making the farmer’s market successful

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