The Airdrie Farmers Market will open for the first time this year with the seventh annual Spring Fling at the Town and Country Centre, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Airdrie Farmers Market officially kicks off its season June 5, but Manager Candice Kolson said the Spring Fling is meant to be a preview of things to come that tides the community over until summer.
The Spring Fling, she said, will have something for everybody, whether they’re looking for unique food items, are behind preparing their Easter meals or are looking for a unique Mother’s or Father’s Day gift.
“It's also a way for some of our new vendors, who might be joining us full-time or part-time in the summer, to kind of come out and get their feet wet a little bit and introduce themselves to the community,” she said.
Some of the new offerings for market-goers include dumplings, fudge and handmade crafts, Kolson said. In total, the Spring Fling has room for 75 vendors, and she said the spots are nearly all filled.
Food trucks will be on-site in the parking lot for the duration of the day, Kolson said, and donations for the Airdrie Food Bank will again be collected in lieu of charging admission.
“[The food bank] supports people without prejudice in our community,” Kolson said. “We felt that it was important that we choose an organization that was on the front lines, helping every day, and the food bank fit the bill. It's a good partnership, because we really are a food-oriented market.”
According to Kolson, the market is a way to bring the community together, while also promoting local businesses.
“It's a little bit more of a driver for shoppers to be in one place, versus having some storefronts all over the city,” she said. “It's also a great place for people starting out, that have those storefronts, to come in and advertise and speak to people that are coming by the hundreds each week to see everything that's there. It gives them an opportunity for that face-to-face.”
Kolson said the market’s goal is to provide a variety of vendors.
“The only time we would exclude a vendor from participating is if we already have similar products booked,” she said. “We try not to saturate the market with the same type of products. We wouldn't have 10 pie vendors or 10 jewelry booths. We always try to have something a little bit different from each other so there is a lot of choice.”
