10
Oct
There is only one remaining market in the 2021 market season. The Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market, the original and still the best market for locally grown produce! Visit the Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market Saturday, October 16th at 19th and Buddy Holly Ave from 9:00AM to 1:00PM for a taste of downtown Lubbock, and the finest in local produce, meat, baked goods and arts. We are a kid friendly, dog friendly, family event in the heart of the Depot District. Our 2021 market season will be held every Saturday morning through October 16th.
Lubbock Downtown Farmer’s Market Oct. 9, 2021
By Paul Bullock & Mary Gates
It’s was dark outside, and the Autumn breeze was brisk and steady, but on we go. The change of seasons was apparent on Saturday and the vendors were prepared. Long sleeves and hoodies ruled the day as we set up. Instead of seeking shade, many were looking for a ray of sunshine to warm themselves.
We had visitors come to our booth next to the entrance of THE GARDEN seeking the only ray of sun to be found that shone through the open gates. The shoppers and vendors have used THE GARDEN’S wonderful courtyard to eat the food and beverages sold at the market. THE GARDEN has been instrumental in providing an open area to rest and eat, as well as clean bathrooms. Their generosity and trust are very much appreciated!
We had twenty-five vendors this week, which is a nice number to fill our appointed area on Buddy Holly Ave. One vendor commented that with fewer vendors, the shoppers that came were buying from the available goods, so I think most of us did pretty well. The cooler weather and the college football games make some folks content to stay home, so we definitely see smaller crowds. We certainly appreciate our familiar fans of the Market, yet we continue to see new faces. The meetings in the street, the smiling faces and laughter are still with us as we close out the season.
Lovely music was again provided by wooden flutist Janie Moynihan, which adds so much to the ambiance! We hope to have her back at future Markets.
Our new addition this week was Pat Hawley representing the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center located here in Lubbock. The sanctuary is a vital part of our community efforts to help heal the wild birds and animals that get injured or are unable to survive without human assistance. We certainly do appreciate the work they do!
We are a very pet friendly Market and have welcomed baby goats and kittens on a leash, but we want to thank all the dog owners who visited us this year. You and your companions add so much to the Market. We like the dogs so much that we choose a weekly Tornado Industrial/Arts Dog of the Day to be our favorite dog at the Market. We have had big and small of all breeds and colors. We are happy to award Buddy the prestigious honor this week Thanks for stopping by Buddy!
Our vendor spotlight will be more extensive this week, as it is the last of the year, and we are trying not to leave anyone out!
HALF-CAFF DESIGNS is Mary Burt’s creation, who has been making art her whole life. She started a fine arts degree At Texas Tech, but decided she just wanted to get out there, follow her muse, and make art for people! Mary started selling her unique lino graphs, watercolors, acrylics, and digital art on Instagram. She then discovered the Tornado Gallery on the First Friday Art Trail and began selling there. Mary says she does well at the market, as she has a loyal following from her Instagram account.
MEGAN’S MACARONS is run by Megan Puente, who began selling her confections at the market this year. When asked what inspired her to start making the macaron, she said she heard they were hard to make and was intrigued by the challenge. It took her 6 months to figure it out! The results are colorful almond flour cookies with buttermilk cream centers with varying flavors. Megan also said she heard the Millennial women couldn’t have a hobby without making it a “side hustle”, so she was determined not to let that happen! BUT, when covid hit and she was unable to work, the macarons became her livelihood. She makes about 500 macarons a week, and mostly sells out between the Market, Facebook and Instagram.
KRAFTY KRUIS offers colorful and durable tumblers, thermoses, and water bottles, as well as earrings. Stacie Kruis creates the designs, and applies them with a special heating mechanism. The exterior is UV activated, so it becomes more vibrant in the sun, but won’t fade. She also makes soaps with goats milk and activated charcoal.
Pauline Mills of GLASSYALLEY Art Studio brings her beautiful art kits for us art novices. She has many designs for make-it-yourself mosaic wall hangings. The kits include all you need to create the design, and allow anyone to be an artist!
PBNB is a booth run by Paul Bullock and Mary Gates, and features Paul’s children’s books “The Big, Big Man and the Tiny Little Mouse”, and “Skinny Katie and Her Pot Belly Pig named Sadie”. These books are beautifully illustrated by Danish artist Nina Broen, and are lovely little books for a child to grow with. Paul also has adult & children’s T-shirts, as well hats featuring characters from the books. Paul also entertains the shoppers and vendors by twirling his “twister” sticks, which he makes himself and sells at the Market.
SAVORY TREATS is new this year, and offers traditional homemade Turkish food, including baklava! Yum!
Last, but not least, we have our crew at the INFORMATION BOOTH. Chuck Green took over for Larry Simmons this year in running the Market, and a fine job he has done! Chuck has helped at the Market for four years as Treasurer, Digital Marketer, and manning the information booth, so he was the natural choice for making sure the Farmer’s Market continued successfully. Larry Harvey stepped in as a volunteer this year after he retired, and is always ready with a humorous remark! Cherilynn James is from Oregon where farmer markets abound. When she moved to Lubbock this year, she was thrilled to discover we had the Downtown Farmers Market. She says she hunted Chuck down so that she could apply for a position, and has found a wonderful community of people at the Market. The INFORMATION BOOTH provides not only information, but treats and water for our dog friends, lollipops for the kids, and sells Farmer’s Market t-shirts and tote bags.
I would like to apologize to any vendor that may have been left out of our vendor spotlight. There was only so much space for this feature, and no slight was intended! We’ll get you next year!
We would just like to say thank you to all the vendors, shoppers, strollers, and those who worked to make this a great experience for us all. We hope to see you at the the last Market October 16, if not, see you next Spring! Be well and be safe!