The Kalangadoo Farmers’ Market is set to celebrate a successful decade of operation with a 10th birthday fair. The market has been held at the former Uniting Church every Saturday since its debut in April 2011, rain, hail or shine and will celebrate its anniversary on April 10.
There will be plenty of fun for all ages, including the biggest vegetable and fruit competition, a petting zoo from Glencoe Kindergarten, barbecue and Archway food and drinks, art and wirework figures, a local CFS truck where guests can squirt the fire hose and extra stalls selling various local and homemade goods.
Local musician Gillie will provide live entertainment, Kalangadoo Farmers’ Market founder Sandra Young will speak about the history and there will be cake cutting at 12pm. Mrs Young purchased the Kalangadoo Uniting Church property in 2010 after its closure in 2009 with the intention of starting a farmers’ market.
Her late husband was an elder at the church and she was a Sunday School teacher. “Knowing that buying local food is really good for our environment and healthy for our community, I thought why not use it as a farmer’s market,” she said.
“I love farmer’s markets and I have been trying to live sustainably for many years.” Mrs Young said the committee was always seeking volunteers for the barbecue, the café and to fill in for stallholders. “It’s a real community effort,” she said. “Personally I find working there to be very sociable, it’s like a hub for the town.” Kalangadoo Farmers’ Market committee members Debbie Guenther and her son, Alex Guenther, have been involved with the market since the beginning.
Mr Guenther has been the president of the Market for almost six years. “We’re all looking forward to finally having one of our fair days again,” he said. “It really brings not just our community together, but other people from the surrounding towns and away come in to buy, chat and support their local producers and enterprises.” “We like to support the local enterprises; everyone is welcome to come and showcase their creations.”
The market sells a variety of goods including local fruit and vegetables, jams and preserves, local arts and crafts, Limestone Coast oats and Fairtrade tea. Every week, Penola’s Windara Bakery provides fresh bread, there is a café and Mrs Young holds a ’Value the Past’ enterprise, selling pre-loved goods and donating a third of the profits to Beyond Blue.
Mr Guenther said the market put Kalangadoo on the map with visitors from all over the region. “We keep doing this to support and promote all the small producers, makers, enterprises and growers from all over the South East area who create, make and produce all this wonderful food, craft, art and products that make up the Limestone Coast,” he said.
The 10th birthday fair will be held on Eliza Street in Kalangadoo from 10am until 1pm.
