Our fourteenth week of farmers' market in Burlington was not a typical Saturday. City Hall Park had been appropriated by B-town higher ups to host the Festival of Fools. The event ran for three days all over the park and up Church Street with stages featuring international street performers working for tips.
Weeks ago, the market manager informed my husband Dan and I that we would not have access to St. Paul Street to load/unload or park. This put the fest on my list of annoyances, since parking on College means crossing traffic and hopping curbs with the entire contents of our pickup: coolers, egg crates, boxes and of course signs, tables, and a tent. We weren't alone, and a few vendors decided not to show up at all.
'I'm not against outdoor entertainment, per se, I just don't want it interfering with me money' (as Mr. Krabs would probably say).
This is a tourist event and as a rule, day-trippers don't need frozen pork, though we sell them cheese after assuring them that 'yes, it will be fine on the plane/car/bus'. Sales are historically down whenever there are contiguous events in the park - the locals avoid the crowds, and the extra hassle drains you - most memorably (years ago) during Latino-fest, a family of party-goers set up under our tent while we were across the road loading the truck at the end of the day.
I dreaded this. I'm old, tired and I don't remember how I got that bruise. I've already put in eight years of heavy lifting to get my things into the park, and I consider having my truck close by this year (#9) a privilege that I both earned and was happy to pay for. Especially since I've been told there is no guarantee that pre-paid parking will be available for me next season.
I sent a message to our client list informing them of the doings, asking them to come early with a suggestion to bring a cooler so they can stay and enjoy the festival.
Saturday from my stand I could see St. Paul was hosting a stage, and the American Flatbread mobile pizza oven (I've always wanted one in my backyard) was cranking out pies for charity. There was also a large beer tent and a row of porto-johns. The big surprise was that the Firehouse Artists' Market across the park was entirely absent; a stage took up their entire space.
Final assessment? The stages were loud, which is fine if you are not either speaking to or listening to people (but how to sell items without doing both - someone please tell me). The barker with the bullhorn was an intrusion, and the Firehouse stage was so close to the market that it was difficult to buy anything - no one could hear me. Although our sales were relatively good, the performance areas in the park were operated with extreme insensitivity to the farmers' market; they should have held off until the market closed at 2 p.m., when everyone could have enjoyed them.
