North Delta residents are just days away from once again having a local farmers’ market to shop for fresh produce and artisanal goods.
After a six-year hiatus, the North Delta Farmers’ Market returns to the parking lot of the North Delta Recreation on May 31, the first of 10 dates this season.
A partnership between the City of Delta and The Collective Markets (who also runs the Ladner Village Market on behalf of the city), the new outdoor market will provide space for 40 vendors to sell fresh produce, handmade crafts, baked goods, locally produced alcoholic beverages and more, while also offering family-friendly activities and live entertainment through to early October.
Meghan Railton, administrator and market manager with The Collective Markets, said the city instigated reopening of the North Delta market because they saw that there was a need for it in this community.
“They're incredibly supportive [partners]. They see the value of the markets and they see that they're building community, and so they are incredibly supportive of our ideas. They're very collaborative, and we're very lucky to be working with the team that we're working with.”
The North Delta market will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 31, June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, Aug. 9 and 23, Sept. 6 and 20, and Oct. 4.
This Saturday's inaugural outing will include an official opening ceremony featuring Mayor George Harvie, planned for 11:30 a.m., and live music from veteran performer Barry Wilson all day long. (For a list of vendors, scroll to the bottom of this article.)
Kids visiting the market will get to try out their green thumbs by planting seeds in dirt-filled egg cartons, which they can then take home, free of charge.
“We'll also have a scavenger hunt, which is really going to be getting kids and families to walk around the area, become familiar with the farmers market footprint, and get to know your farmer a little bit,” Railton said.
Also planned for opening day is a free seed swap sponsored by West Coast Seeds.
“There will be a ton of seeds; people can just come and grab them,” Railton said. “And if they have extra seeds laying around at home, they can drop them off or they can come and swap some out.”
The previous North Delta Farmers’ Market ran for several years at Sunbury Hall before moving to the North Delta Recreation Centre in 2014. It continued outside the centre through 2018 before taking a year off due to construction at the site.
Plans to restart the market in 2020 were derailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the community has been without a regular market since.
Railton said that since The Collective Markets was announced as operator in March, North Delta has been “incredibly responsive and positive” about the market’s return.
“We've had so many people reach out and say, ’I'm so excited, I used to love this market.’ The welcome back has just been so incredibly warm, and we're expecting that to just pour over to in-person,” Railton said.
“You know, people don't usually take the time to put positive things into writing; you get a lot more complaints than you do positive feedback. And so when people are actually taking the time to email us these happy, positive thoughts, and you know how grateful they are that this market is making an appearance again, we just think that the in-person reaction is going to be tenfold.”
Like the opening day seed swap, The Collective Markets has several special events planned throughout the market season.
On June 28, the market will be hosting a “vendor showcase,” which Railton described as a half-hour flash sale.
“It’s a really fun way to highlight a bunch of vendors who maybe you haven't tried before,” she said. With that we're really hoping to encourage people sticking around the market, trying new vendors, trying new products, and just getting to know other people.”
July 12’s market will coincide with a city-hosted Concert in the Park (performer yet to be announced) and feature a teddy bear picnic for kids plus music by the Willoughby Ridge Band.
Two weeks later, the market will host Art in the Park on July 26, where an assortment of local artists will be showcasing their works. (Artist interested in participating should email Railton at meghan@collectivecraftmarkets.com.)
The Aug. 23 market will feature a bouquet-building workshop, while on Sept. 20 there will be a pie contest for local home bakers.
“Then, on Oct. 4, we're having our season closer. That's a really great time to kind of stock up for fall and make sure that you're getting everything you need, or at least grabbing a business card from your favourite vendor so you can find them over the winter,” Railton said.
As a member of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, the North Delta market will be participating in the association’s Nutrition Coupon Program, a healthy eating initiative that supports farmers’ markets and strengthens food security across the province by providing coupons to lower-income families, pregnant people and seniors.
Coupons can be spent at all participating BCAFM member markets, and can be used to purchase up to $27 worth of vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, dairy, herbs, vegetable/fruit plants, honey, meat and fish per week for 16 weeks.
BCAFM and participating markets do not hand out the coupons directly. Households looking to enrol in the program can contact the local community partner, Earthwise Society (info@earthwisesociety.bc.ca).
Vendors confirmed for this Saturday's opening of the North Delta Farmers' Market include:
- Bar Down Cookies
- Barry Wilson
- Ca Croustille Bakery Ltd.
- Casey Bee Honey
- Cat Fur Everywhere
- Cleo's Origami
- Dirty Biscotti
- Earthwise Society
- Fresh Pick Mushrooms
- Grandma K's Honey
- Kakastar Designs
- Let's Bee Creative Goodies
- Linda J Shea Design
- Lucente's Osteria
- Lygia's Brew
- Market 49 Fine Foods
- Melt & Munch
- Mikes Kettle Corn
- Mila Earth Inc.
- Moxie Mushrooms Ltd.
- Neet Arts Co.
- Nepalaya Chews
- Northyards Cider Co.
- Pielicious
- Raincity Distillery
- Replay Rewind Upcycled Fun
- Seema's Jardin de Fleurs
- Singh Beans
- Slavic Rolls
- Smokin' Good Jerky
- Sweethart Bakeshop
- Tea Time Bakes
- The Woods Spirit Co.
- Thirteen Tesoros
- Toon's Sauces
- Watershed Artworks Society
- West Coast Bath and Creative Products
- West Coast Created
- Wildcraft Organic Ltd.
- Woodweaver
For more Information about future markets or to apply to be a vendor, visit thecollectivemarkets.ca/pages/north-delta-farmers-market.
