A view from the Market tent

While the Market is on pause this weekend before we embark on our 25thseason, for which we are planning a substantial amount of hoopla, a brief retrospective, reflective, purely subjective note:
 
Arriving in Hastings 36 years ago, there was plenty to love. Splendid views, small-town character, easy commute. A practical stopover enroute to who knows where, and meantime, a very nice place to walk the dog.
 
Sometime later, when, due to unforeseen circumstances — two children — we were still here, along came local dynamo Sue Smith and fellow villager Meg Walker, an urban planner, with this idea for a farmers’ market.

I really don’t recall why, but I was among the half dozen or so women Sue gathered in her living room one day to consider that such a venture could both invigorate Hastings’ downtown and support Hudson Valley agriculture. (Insert parenthetical “Hard to imagine what I was getting into.”) Now, as the last active volunteer from opening day, June 20, 1998, my favorite memories are of almost dream-like mornings lugging bushels of squash and potatoes, hauling boxes of chutney and loaves of bread, dashing from vendor to vendor to quickly unload, raise tents. Never mind that I came home scraped and smelling of pickle brine; it was a small price to pay for the wonder of transforming an empty library parking lot into a feel-good festival with a splendid river and Palisades backdrop. The halcyon days.

Then, in 2020, the harrowing days. With the onset of Covid, we, along with the rest of the world, pivoted, and moved downhill to the expansive commuter lot where masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer became rules of thumb, and the lines of people waiting to shop were, for many, a lifeline.
 
In 25 years, what is unchanged is my conviction that the  Market makes Hastings a better place to live, and offers a glimpse of this community at its best. The beauty and wholesomeness of fresh food, the rapport between purveyor and shopper, and the congregation of generations of families, friends, neighbors — and dogs. And then there’s the occasional stranger who stops by the Market tent to drop $100 into the food pantry fund. Generosity as abundant as greens and muffins.
 
The Market, in its first quarter century, has produced at least one romance, countless culinary adventures, and, likely, secrets and surprises unknown to us.  In celebration of this milestone anniversary, we invite you to share your Market stories. On Saturday, June 17th, from 9 a.m. to noon, we will be hosting an on-site celebration (shopping hours 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. still apply), featuring various food trucks, kids’ activities, and a guest audiobook. Plus, what’s a party without dessert?

Lauren Casper
Hastings Farmers’ Market Committee