The US Highway 199 corridor is a consistently popular road for the summer tourist season and is the only route for accessing the beautiful Smith River National Recreation Area. The hot summer months bring a swarm of out-of-towners and locals alike through the outlying regions of Del Norte County, like Hiouchi, Patricks Creek, and Gasquet. This Summer 2014, visitors to Gasquet will have a new reason to stop and enjoy the area: The Gasquet Farmer's & Artisan's Market!
It's long been a dream of many residents of Del Norte to have farmers markets in the outer areas of the county, due to the difficulty of traveling into Crescent City for the Wednesday and Saturday markets. A Gasquet farmers market has always been a popular idea, owing to the consistent summer traffic on 199, the large number of gardeners in the area, and the tight-knit feel of the Gasquet community. It has certainly been a dream of Susan Stewart, the Gasquet resident who is responsible for starting the Gasquet F&A Market. Susan is no stranger to organizing farmers markets in Del Norte; years ago she was the first person to start a market in Downtown Crescent City, which eventually evolved into the Crescent City Saturday Farmers Market. A few years later, she once again started a market in Downtown Crescent City which grew and still exists to this day as the Wednesday Farmers Market on Front St.
After handing over the management of the Crescent City Wednesday Market to Ocean Air Farms, Susan set her sights a little closer to home, and began gathering community support to start a market for Gasquet residents and the tourists who visit this area. Not only will there be local farmers, gardeners, and craftsman, but additional farmers from Southern Oregon and Humboldt County will make the trek over to sell their wares. With 32 spaces available, Susan is anticipating that spots will easily fill up, and she encourages anyone who is interested in being a vendor to fill out an application ASAP and claim your spot! This is yet another opportunity to increase the availability of good food in our community, support our local small businesses, and improve the public image of Del Norte to the outside world.
Vendors will include Ocean Air Farms, Stewart's Produce, local soap makers, breads and pastries, hand-crafted furniture, and much more!
The Gasquet Farmers & Artisans Market will be held in the Gasquet Station's parking lot, right alongside Highway 199 on Sundays from 11:00-3:00. The first market is on June 15th and will be held every week throughout the summer months.
If you are interested in more details, or want to fill out an application to be a vendor, you can contact Susan Stewart at (707) 954-4010 or elkprairiedairy@yahoo.com
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