Fleur Mainville is best known in Pictou County for her fiddling and singing, but the New Glasgow woman is proving her versatility with a new adventure she’s embarking on.
While she’s continuing with her musical endeavours, she’s added a new role to her plate – manager of the New Glasgow Farmers Market.
Mainville took some time to share with The News what she’s looking forward to about this new role and what she hopes to accomplish with it.
Q: What interested you about the position?
A: Since the inauguration of the New Glasgow Farmers Market the manager position has always interested me. I strongly believe that every community needs a farmers market where produce can be purchased from local farmers and whereby vendors can sell directly to the public, in return creating a more conscious and educated consumer. Consumers gain access to fresh, nutritious, local produce. It's also a place where local artists can come together and sell their goods and crafts and where a market can become the heart of our community! This interests me greatly because I am an artist and because I know that there is a need for such a thing in Pictou County.
Q: What do you personally enjoy most about the market?
A: The New Glasgow Farmers Market has always been an exciting and welcoming environment since its beginning. Every week it gives us the opportunity to gather as a community and talk to friends, neighbours and to see what our local farmers, artists and musicians have to offer us. I love the community spirit that is involved around our farmers market and I am a huge supporter of buying local. I actually grew up in a household where there were rules that went to buying a gift. If you could not eat it, read it or wear it, you did not get it and it was encouraged to make sure it came from our community.
Q: What do you think can be done to improve it?
A: The New Glasgow Farmers Market is evolving every year and the board of directors has a vision which will see the market continue to grow and offer our community a place to gather and support our economy by being able to buy local. That said I think the only way to improve our market is to continue to make sure that the public is aware of what the market has to offer. I believe that through social media and by making sure the New Glasgow Farmers Market becomes the heart of our community every Saturday morning.
Q: When will the market open this year and what will the hours be?
A: We are hoping to have the market up in full swing on May 18 and the hours will remain the same with the doors opening at 8 a.m. and finishing up around noon.
Q: How many vendors do you expect to have?
A: We are hoping to continue this season with the same trend from last where on most Saturdays the number of vendors was greater than the amount of space in our building. This year will bring back a lot of our favourite vendors, which our clientele have come accustomed to as well as some new additions that will surely become favourites as well.
If anyone is interested in more information or becoming a vendor please visit the website, www.ngfarmers.ca, or Facebook page or email ngfarmmarket@gmail.com.
The New Glasgow Farmers Market is located in the Riverfront Dome in downtown New Glasgow (115 Jury St.). Free parking is available right outside the doors, and vendors will be found inside and out of the new dome building.
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