(Spirit Lake)– The Lakes Area Farmers Market is looking for ideas on how to expand its operations and attract more people. Dennis McDonald of the Lakes Area Farmers Market tells KUOO news they already have some plans but are looking for additional input from the public through a survey they’re conducting…
“We’re looking at this coming summer of bringing in an Activities Director for youth activities at the Farmers Market on Saturdays and then some food trucks and possibly music on Wednesdays. We’re also considering perhaps the option of a year-round market if we can find an enclosed space where that would be workable. And then we’d also like to work with some 4-H clubs and some FFA clubs to see if we could get some younger vendors involved at the market.”
McDonald adds the Lakes Area Farmers Market holds a special distinction…
“Actually it was one of the first non-urban markets established in the state of Iowa. There had been farmers markets in Dubuque and Des Moines, Sioux City, some of the cities throughout the state, but in the mid 1980’s several vendors began assembling at the fairgrounds in Spirit Lake and in 1987 were officially registered with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as an official farmers market. At that point there were very few farmers markets in areas outside of cities.”
Surveys are available online through their Facebook page or at lakesareafarmersmarket.org. Printed copies are available at the Iowa State University Extension Office at the Expo Center in Spirit Lake. McDonald says they’ll be conducting the survey through at least late May.
