By Adam Frisk

With just a few weeks left for the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market, the summer season has already proven to be a success for vendors.

On any given Tuesday throughout the summer months, the public parking lot at Head Lake was chock-a-block full of vehicles as cottagers and locals picked up their provisions for the week.

“We had a fantastic season, we’ve had a lot more visitors this year, a lot more vendors this year,” Haliburton County Farmers’ Market manager Lexy Feinstein said in a Sept. 16 interview. “One day we saw 2,650 visitors come through the market, which is the highest we’ve ever had.”

Feinstein said the weather was a benefit for market days this year but even on days that weren’t so great, it didn’t keep people away.

“So last year the motto was ‘If it’s raining it’s obviously market day’ but this year we’ve had fantastic weather,” she said. “But I still find people come no matter what the weather is.”

Vendors agreed with Feinstein, noting that the foot traffic in the market was “incredible.”

“It’s been a great turnout this year, you know. People come out for a reason and to get what they want,” Barb Fisher said. “They are supporting the market really well this year. Some will say ‘Well we knew you’d be here’ so they come out to support us.”

“Then you realize that’s why you do it,” the Janetville farmer said.

McLean Berry Farm also had a great market season this year with the increase of foot traffic.

“It’s been really good, obviously it’s a lot busier from July 1 to Labour Day weekend and then it slows up a bit,” Cindy Leahy said. “But I think it’s been a good market this year.”

With still a few weeks left in the season, the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market has put a call out for potential vendors who may be thinking about wanting to become a part of the weekly event.

“We are still looking for pop-up vendors so if anyone is interested in testing the waters and getting a taste of what the market is like, we’re open to, especially food vendors, pop-ups,” Feinstein said. “They can come and see how they like it and then we can plan for them for next year.”

Potential vendors can apply online to participate in a pop-up trial. The Haliburton County Farmers’ Market season runs from May 10 to Oct. 11 and is hosted on Tuesday in Haliburton from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturday in Minden during the same hours.