Published in the New Westminster Newsleader June 26, 2009
Farmers Market makes a great start
By Chris Bryan
The Royal City Farmers Market opened with much fanfare Thursday, and attracted as many as 1,100 people over the four hours (3 to 7 p.m.), said organizer Andrew Murray. There were 36 vendors, and Murray said that will be about the number for the whole season—up from about 25 last year.
“The demand is much greater this year,” he said. “There’s a real vendor grapevine, and we got a lot of positive reviews.”
In addition to cheeses and meat, including fish, there were breads, coffee and a lot of farm produce—much more than last year.
“We’ve pretty well doubled the farms we’re offering over last year,” Murray said. “Lots more produce. That was our goal. A market’s success is measured by how much fruit and veggies it offers. We’ve made some positive progress on that one, and it’s still early in the summer. Our farmers will have a lot more selection as the summer progresses.”
Thursday’s market was the first of the season and featured Mayor Wayne Wright opening the market and a salute from Seymour Artillery.
The market runs every Thursday, 3-7 p.m. at Tipperary Park next to city hall. The next big splash at the market will be July 23, with extra events as part of the city’s 150th celebrations, Murray said.
