A Tale of Two Market Dates

The past few weeks couldn’t be more different in terms of temperature in Morton Grove. The chill and the wind (and the windchill factor!) last Saturday forced everyone to take down their tents and enjoy the sunshine, whereas the week before, vendors, shoppers and musicians were happy to enjoy the shade. Still, many things about the Morton Grove Farmers’ Market remained the same over the past few weeks:

• Great, seasonal produce from local farmers,
• A tasty selection of prepared, hot foods and beverages
• A new dining area under the roof of the old bank drive-thru
• Children frolicking in the kid’s play area
• Several free raffles and giveaways (including tickets to Fear City, a Guess The Weight of the Pumpkin contest and a $100 Market Bucks raffle)
• The casual, friendly marketplace where residents and neighbors come to chat, eat and shop every week from spring to fall.

But the differences between the two weeks highlight some of the fantastic offerings that the Market delivers each week.

Last Saturday, Chef Massimo, from Of Spice and Men, featured his mixed seasonings, vinegars and rices, as the Vendor of the Day. The previous week, the Cheese People kept the buyers in whey and curds.

Last Saturday, Honky Tonk Parade brought their folksy bluegrass tunes back to the Market for their last performance of the season. The previous Saturday, Niles West students brought their guitars, ukuleles and voices to croon modern popular tunes.

Last Saturday, the Maker Mom (www.themakermom.com) helped kids at the Market celebrate the Global Cardboard Challenge in honor of Caine’s Arcade Day of Play (http://cainesarcade.com/dayofplay/). Visitors to the Market (from as far as St. Louis!) got to dress up as robots, play a corrugated version of Rock, Paper, Scissors and even a cardboard Whack-a-Mole game.

The League of Women Voters (www.lwv.org) was on hand to register voters and the Illinois Agricultural Extension (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/index.html) answered late-season gardening questions.  The Morton Grove Community Relations Commissions also set up their booth in the sunlight to talk about village issues with passers-by. On the previous Saturday, representatives of the Morton Grove Public Library (http://www.webrary.org) showed off their new technology and signed up shoppers for new library cards.

Next week, the Park View orchestra will be belting out the classical and contemporary hits and RC Juggle will be back to make balloon animals. Straw bales will be available for purchase and the nearby Historical Museum will be open. Hope to see you there.