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Crowd gathers for market kick-off (video)

Red Deer’s Public Market got off to a “frightening” start early Saturday with scores of vendors and thousands of people converging on the downtown Arena and Red Deer Curling Club parking lots.
C01_MarketOpening
Jackson Cory


Red Deer’s Public Market got off to a “frightening” start early Saturday with scores of vendors and thousands of people converging on the downtown Arena and Red Deer Curling Club parking lots.

The frightening aspect was welcome news to market manager Dennis Moffat who was on the grounds at 3:30 a.m. prepared for the onslaught.

Vendors, shoppers walkers and gawkers were crammed into every nook and cranny of the lots.

“It was frightening this morning. We didn’t know how we were going to handle all the people,” Moffat joked as throngs of people walked by one of the more than 200 vending booths.

“They (vendors) were lined up right to 48th Avenue. Happily, Patrick my son and good friend Gil Graboski managed to place everyone,” Moffat said of his long-time assistants in the 41-year market endeavour.

Every Saturday morning from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving the popular event leaps to life.

It has become not only a gathering of commercial enterprises but has morphed into a community cultural and social event.

Old acquaintances who haven’t seen much of each other over the winter usually manage to bump into one another at the market to share a coffee or a muffin.

Don Anderson and Marty O’Haloran shared a table to chat.

“I guess we’ve been coming to this event for more than 10 years together now. It’s a great place to meet people, buy some home baked goods and pick up a few plants to put into the ground this weekend,” laughed Anderson.

They are joined by artists, buskers and numerous others looking to promote or sell their wares.

Heidi Madore and her husband Gilbert from the outskirts of Red Deer have operated a small booth selling homemade goods such as pot holders, hand painted plaques, lacy towels and various wood carved articles.

“It’s very busy today,” said Heidi who was impressed by the crowd size and weather.

“There is sometime more people here on long weekends in the summer but this is a great crowd for the first week.

“I think a lot of people didn’t go camping because of the fire bans, so stayed home,” said Heidi who has been selling for 17 years now.

Moffat said the start was the best ever. He estimated about 20 per cent of the people were new this year.

The market wraps up shortly after noon and the temporary village is dismantled until next Saturday at 8 a.m.

jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com