The Aurora Farmers Market is definitely not just a place to buy local, but also a gathering place – “Your Meeting Place In Aurora.” It’s another place to buy, but there is more. A place where we meet others. A place where children have fun. A place where we can escape.
It is so typical these days in Aurora to say, “I will be at the Farmers Market” or “I’ll meet you at the market.” “I hope we get a chance to meet up one day, maybe over a coffee at the market,” Matt Maddocks wrote to me once, and I hope so too.
I don’t know many people, but I know Katherine Belrose (Friends of Petch House) very well, and we always get to chat at the market. Her Pioneer booth was exciting last Saturday and was well aligned with Senior’s Day.
Now, where else would you meet? It is so simple, and most of us know the way to the market on Saturday morning. And if you don’t know where it is, on Saturday all signs lead to the Aurora Farmers Market.
Our Farmers Market definitely has a social component built in. It is really nice to see people chatting with each other. Vendors shop among themselves. People buy with enthusiasm. Reusable bags are being filled to the top.
A great place for children to get out, visit the playground, cool off at the splash pad, and then head out for a nice cookie or popcorn treat, or even have a full lunch.
On August 13th, the market had a very busy day. It was Senior’s Day, which was very eventful as you will see in my later post. Busy shoppers were buying a lot of good, healthy food, fruits, and vegetables, especially at this time of year during the peak of the farmer’s harvest. It is easy to capture the essence of the market with my camera, but this time it was in the air. A strong aroma of fresh veggies and herbs travelled throughout.
The Aurora Farmers Market started in 2003. In the past, it was held at the Old Post Office gathering.
“From its opening on November 24, 1915 until its closure in 1967, the old Post Office played an important role as a focal point of activity in the life of Aurora. The central platform for mail deposit was a convenient stage for citizens to express their opinions on matters of local concern. Before the advent of home delivery, collecting the mail was an opportunity for neighbours to socialize. Its clock has chimed the hours for generations of Aurora citizens.” Source: Town of Aurora Website.
“The Post Office officially opened on November 24, 1915. The building soon became an important place for people to gather and spend time with their neighbours and colleagues. The letter drop, located in the middle of the building, was often used as a platform for speakers. The welcoming addresses for soldiers returning from the First and Second World Wars were made from this platform. The chimes of the tower clock announced the time for the community then as it does today.” Source: Town of Aurora Website.
Nothing lasts forever. Times change. The General Store was once a gathering place.
“In 1951, the general store operated by Mr. Larry Rubin and his brother Lou became the Aurora I.G.A. Foodliner, a supermarket. There were incentives to visit the store: special prices, door prices and a draw for twenty-five dollars. The store had everything except a meat department, but that was soon added. Aurora then had one stop food shopping on Wellington Street East. This was convenient, but it did cut down on meandering, shopping and socializing along the town’s shopping district.” Source: “Aurora 1945-1965, An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change”, by Elizabeth Hearn Milner, page 50, 2007.
To conclude my photo journey of the Aurora Farmers Market on August 13th, let me say that there is always room for a garden.
To view the gallery below, click on the thumbnail image, and then on the image to preview all photos from August 13, 2011, Aurora Farmers Market. More photos from the same day related to Senior’s Day and Pioneer presentation coming next.
