The Bloomington Farmers Market

I was thoroughly intrigued when I visited the farmers market in Bloomington. It exceeded my expectations. As our group traveled around the vendors, we saw so many homegrown delicious foods for sale. We also got to see Marcia Veldman who is the director of the farmers market. She told us the inner workings of the market and highlighted the fact that a market provides greater human interaction than a commercial grocery. The most interesting part, however, wasn't the products and produce but the interaction between the people that was created from the open atmosphere. It was so easy to start a conversation with the shoppers and vendors. Everywhere our group went, we saw smiling people conversing and having a good time; there was no hierarchal order of people in the farmers market. In other words, everyone was on the same personal level and no one thought of themselves as a higher individual. 

There were four main sections to this farmers market. First, there was the main grocery area where all of the farmers sold there crops. this was biggest part of the market and the most busiest. The main type of people in this area were adults but there were always some families walking while the kids ate freshly picked fruits. Along with fruits and vegetables, there were also plants, homemade cheese, and honey. Behind the central area of the market, there was the DIY section of arts and crafts. This section reminded me of the documentary we watched in class about the DIY community. I met one vendor and asked what they love about there job. She said "The main reason why I love my job is the other people around me with there own crafts. I love looking to see what other people have passionately created. I also like talking to other vendors about their craft, sometimes it leads to strong friendships." Just like the central grocery area, the DIY section encourages everyone to participate no matter if you have experience in DIY world. Right next to the DIY section was a big fountain. This is where most of the kids gathered and played with each other as their parents watched them. The third region was titled Info Alley. This space was primarily for politics and community involvement and attracted mainly adults. Even though this was the least populated, there were still aspects of a participatory community with local politics reaching out to talk with the civilians. Finally, the fourth section of the market was my favorite. In this section, there were specialty food vendors and bakeries. From crepes to coffee to pizza, all of the items were delicious. This place attracted both kids and adults because of the variety in tasty food. Regardless of where you were in the market, I saw smiles and people having a wonderful time due to the fact they were all involved in something bigger.

There is one more important factor to the Bloomington Farmers Market; the music. The most fascinating part was that the music was throughout the entire market and unified the four sections. Unfortunately, we came on a rainy day which hindered the full potential of the music including the stage performances. Nonetheless, the music still created a good vibe and energetic atmosphere. Another fascinated thing I noticed was the equal distribution of adults and kids. In the four areas of the markets, there are more adults in one place and more kids in another, but that is not the case for the music venues. At each venue, there were adults and kids of all ages eagerly listening to the musicians. The music at the farmers market gave life to the environment by bonding people under a common ground.    

The outcome that I have grasped from this experience is that there are many similarities between the farmers market, DIY community and participatory music. All invoke participation from everyone and in return provide an enjoyable atmosphere for all the participants. No matter what type it is, all participatory activities unite and raise the spirit of those involved.

This is the map I drew representing the different regions in the entire market and the musical venues. I also plotted out the adults and kids in the vicinity of each section.