LF_062217

4 | June 22, 2017 | The lake forest leader NEWS
LakeForestLeader.com
Lake Bluff Farmers Market focuses on sense of community
Jake Markowitz
Editorial Intern
Anna Freeman, from RCJuggle Entertainment, blows up
balloons for children at the Lake Bluff Farmers Market
on June 16. Alyssa groh/22nd Century Media.
If you happen to be out
on a Friday morning jog
by the Village Green, don’t
expect to be the only one
up bright and early.
Every Friday morning
at 7 a.m., a group of 6-12
women join one another
to walk around while enjoying
a cup of coffee and
cookies. The occasion:
The Lake Bluff Farmers
Market.
Back for a 24th year, the
Lake Bluff Farmers Market
will provide the local
community with an assortment
of fresh produce,
bakery products and organic
foods amongst other
products.
“It’s a wonderful place,”
said Gridley Swanton, the
market manager. “It’s a
place for people to get together,
join their friends
and share good food and
stories.”
With more than 30 vendors,
the Market will give
market-goers access to
some of the top products
from the Lake Michigan
region every Friday from
7 a.m. to noon, said Glen
Cole, the assistant to the
village administrator, .
To ensure the quality of
it’s vendors, a selection
committee of seven volunteers
was compiled to
research applicants as well
as searching the Lake Bluff
area for suitable vendors.
“We are always trying
to bring in new vendors,”
Swanton said. “We see
what they’ve done in other
markets. We ask them for
their product line.”
The market does not just
focus on food, however.
It also provides entertainment
for children.
From 9-9:30 a.m. the
Lake Bluff library hosts a
story time. After the story
time, the library will walk
the children over to the
farmers market. Additionally,
a few years ago a balloon
person was added to
make balloon animals for
the children at the market.
“Story time is wildly
received,” Swanton said.
“The number of little kids
that come and listen to
someone read to them is
phenomenal.”
A longtime resident of
Lake Bluff, Swanton has
always been intrigued by
the market. The endless
assortment of foods is
what grabbed her attention
and led to her passion for
working the market, she
said.
“I always liked the fresh
food and the availability
of cookies and all that
stuff,” Swanton said. “As a
resident of Lake Bluff, I’m
very adamant about the
positive vibes of the community.”
Those positive vibes are
the sentiment the market is
attempting to have the locals
share in attempt to get
the community out of their
house and over to the market.
Increased foot traffic
and notoriety are two
of the main goals of the
Farmers’ Market, Swanton
said.
Above all else, however,
the market wants to distinguish
itself from other
markets by successfully
reflecting its community.
“Our farmers market is
different from other towns
and successful for the
same reasons Lake Bluff
is: it’s a casual, comfortable
place that reflects the
strong community of Lake
Bluff,” Cole said.
Carrying out a sense of
community is something
the market feels it has been
able to achieve for the past
quarter-century. While the
market may not be able
to expand much further
due to the unavailability
of land, organizers of the
market are not concerned.
“I think we run a really
fine structured market of
food related products,”
Swanton said. “It’s a wonderful
market and a place
that provides a community
for people to gather and
enjoy an endless assortment
of food.”
LF Open Air Market helps local businesses shine
Sarah Verschoor
Editorial Intern
Chicago’s North Shore
is inundated with farmers
markets that boast fresh
produce in a community
setting. Lake Forest’s
Open Air Market stands
out from the pack as it features
fewer produce vendors
and more specialty
sellers including cracker
makers, dog jerky producers
and topiary trimmers.
“Most farmers market
specialize on produce,” said
Matthew Musacchio, market
manager. “We like to expand
what we offer. It’s really
a communal effort. We
involved the community to
sell what they like.”
This year’s Lake Forest
Open Air Market season
started Saturday, June 17
and is open every Saturday
of the month from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. in the east Lake
Forest train station parking
lot. Many residents, their
children and dogs were
out Saturday morning listening
to the Sipos and
Young Band who played
live while residents bought
strawberries, red onions
and other produce.
Connor L’Heureux’s
stand, The Plant Kid, stood
to the right of the band behind
white tablecloth lined
tables. On the tables, more
than 20 plants housed in
earthy, terracotta pots were
available for purchase. Sixteen-year-old
L’Heureux
said he got his start in plant
tending and selling because
his aunts in Michigan sold
plants at their local farmers
markets.
“I thought it looked really
cool,” he said.
With his family’s inspiration
in mind, L’Heureux
began his plant based business.
L’Heureux trims and
grooms the plants to make
sure they maintain their
shape. After plants leave
greenhouses, L’Heureux
said they “die a little,” so
his care insures they are in
good condition.
His favorite plant he was
selling is the angel vine, a
wispy green vine with thin
brown branches that grows
in different directions. On
top of the soil in its pot, a
stone shaped and colored
white like a rabbit adorns
the swirly green plant.
Most of L’Heureux’s
plants range from $6 to
$30. L’Heureux said while
he’s not interested in ecology
or farming, he wants
to study business and maybe
stick with plant sales.
The open air market is
designed to provide a community
and sense of family,
Musacchio said.
Next to L’Heureux’s and
his plentiful plants was
Cooper’s Way, a gourmet
dog jerky vendor. Owner
Vicki Price was selling
three types of USA made
Taste of Paris, out of Mundelein, sells smiley face and
chocolate chip cookies along with other baked goods
and breads. Sarah Verschoor/ 22nd century media.
and sourced jerky including
sweet potato, pork and
chicken.
Price started Cooper’s
Way after her former dog,
Coco, died from eating
tainted jerky produced in
China.
“I was devastated,”
Price said.
Shortly after Coco’s
death, Price rescued her
new pup, Cooper, and
named the company after
him. It takes her 30 hours
to create the jerky treats
and she uses fresh ingredients,
Price said.
With 11 to 12 different
vendors each week like
The Plant Kid and Cooper’s
Way, there are no
major changes planned
for the market’s upcoming
season, Musacchio said.
“What isn’t broke, don’t
fix it,” Musacchio said. “Everybody
has a great time.”