A new initiative in the Kelly Creek area is working to bring community members together, and promote local food, in an environmentally-friendly way.
Kelly Creek Garden Market began regular hours on May 24 and runs until September 27. Every Friday night from 5 to 8 pm, local vendors and musicians gather beside the Kelly Creek Community Church on Zilinsky Road.
“It’s about getting your community together, about getting to know your local businesses and farmers,” explained Ruth Perfitt.
The market was Perfitt’s brainchild. Inspired by night markets in Vancouver, Palm Springs and Germany, she set out to recreate a bright, neighbourly feel. When friends agreed with the idea, a committee was formed to put the plan into action.
On April 19, the committee held a test market selling seedlings and bulbs. People in the area flocked to the market, showing the idea had viability.
Now, almost halfway through the season, the market boasts everything from fresh produce to jewellery to face-painting. Pre-determined live music ranging from all-female barbershop quartet the Treble Makers to Powell River Idol winner Dawson Brown plays on stage.
When asked why she felt the Kelly Creek area needed a market, Perfitt had one primary goal in mind. “I think the main thing was bringing the community together,” she said. “I mean, I’ve lived here for so long and I don’t really know anybody on the side roads. I think that’s where it all started.”
Reception south of town has been great, said Wendy Pelton, who is in charge of the administrative side of the market. The idea that someone made an event specifically to cater to their area is meaningful to people, she explained.
The market also promotes a sense of community in other ways. A spotlight on business allows one local business a week to have a free promotional table. Also at the market is a map of the area south of the city on which people can place business cards to show where they are located.
“They’re so far from town, it’s harder to get exposure,” said Pelton. The featured business is also allowed a three-minute stint at the microphone to promote its wares.
Perfitt said she hopes the event will draw people from outside the neighbourhood as well, to experience the bounty the area has to offer. “You’d be surprised at how many people in town don’t drive out this way,” she said.
Her hope has already happened, with attendees from all areas of Powell River. On average, Perfitt said the market attracts between 75 and 150 people each week.
The event is also zero-waste, complete with drinking water and handwashing stations. Many vendors have reusable dishes and attendees are encouraged to bring their own.
For both Perfitt and Pelton, the market is also a way to promote local food.
“For 30 years, I’ve lived in this area, always driving by these beautiful farms and wondering what the farmers do with all their produce,” Perfitt said. A market in the neighbourhood, she continued, gives farmers a way to sell their wares without burning up extra gas.
In the future, Perfitt and Pelton would like to add a workshop component to the market, with attendees learning skills such as how to grow a pallet garden.
This increasing emphasis on locally-grown food is part of a province-wide trend.
According to a study by the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, more than 70 new farmers’ markets have opened in the province over the past six years. The same study showed the amount of money earned by these markets has skyrocketed, jumping from $46 million in 2006 to over $113 million in 2012.
David Connell, a professor at the University of Northern British Columbia, led the project. In a press release, he said study findings reiterate that local food systems are viable options and encourage local farmers to grow more food.
These study benefits are a reality for the Kelly Creek market. According to Pelton, multiple farmers on the market’s planning committee said they planted more food this year specifically to cater to increased sales the market would bring.
As to the viability of close-by food sources, Powell River perhaps reflects this more than most—it is a hub for local food systems. Every weekend, the Open Air Farmers’ Market at the Exhibition Grounds in Paradise Valley sells fresh produce, and often farmers sell their bounty right off their land. The region is also home to multiple local food movements, including Powell River Food Security Project, Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative and the 50-Mile Eat-Local Challenge.
The Kelly Creek market sees itself as a complement to other markets and movements in town, not competition, said Pelton. After all, she continued, wherever it comes from, local food is cheaper, fresher and healthier.
For more information about the Kelly Creek Garden Market, interested readers can visit the market’s Facebook page.
