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A weekly show from the folks at East Lansing Info breaking down all the news and happenings in East Lansing, Michigan.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of East Lansing Insider. I'm your host, Anna Liz Nichols. And with summer in full swing, temperature's high, sun shining, we're talking this week about the East Lansing Farmers Market, where vendors sell a variety of goods from strawberries and apple cider slushies to panettone and whitefish. The city's farmers market operates on Sundays from 10AM to 2PM in Valley Court Park, just across the street from Michigan State University's North neighborhood. To share a little bit more about the farmers market and what it has to offer, we have Colleen Armitage, who manages the market with us here today at East Lansing Insider, to tell us more about the market.
Anna Liz Nichols:Now, Colleen, I believe this is your second season managing the market. What does your role as farmer's market manager for the city of East Lansing entail, and what goes into making everything come together?
Colleen Armitage:Yeah. So I've really enjoyed the two years that I've had with the market. I hope that I have many more. We start thinking about the East Lansing Farmers Market early January, and we think about what our Farmers Market this year wants to be. I truly believe that a farmer's market needs to reflect the community it serves.
Colleen Armitage:So I look very hard at the community of East Lansing and what it all entails. So what are their needs? What are their desires? What is it they want? How do I feed how do I feed the mind, body, and soul of East Lansing through my farmer's market?
Colleen Armitage:So in January, we put out the applications, and I have a team of assistants that we start looking at the vendors, what we want. We try to have something special every week for families that come to the market. I have a festival background, so I treat the farmer's market like a mini festival every week. Sometimes we don't have a whole lot. Sometimes it's just cute little crafts that we have for the kids to come in and do, or we have coloring pages.
Colleen Armitage:But we also have these themed events where we do, like, giveaways and coupons, and we have special little prizes. And one example is our new let's rock geology day where we're gonna have geologists come out and talk to people about the special Michigan rocks that we have. And I am not a geologist, so I don't know any of the proper terminology beside rocks are cool. So we also have, like, robotics fest where we work with MSU, where they will come out and they will have robotics for kids to to try out. We also have a few high schools that will come out and get kids just interested in robotics and see what they can do, what they can create, what they can build.
Colleen Armitage:And it's so fun to see these kids put their hands to use and their minds when it's summer and they don't want to, but they get to build something with their hands. We also have the Autumn Fest, which happens in October with free pony rides, pumpkin painting. We have a slew of different things. We're we work with the library quite often. We treat this like a mini festival every single week, and we try very hard to cultivate a relationship with the community.
Colleen Armitage:And what helps is we also have a program called pop club, power of produce, where any child under the age of 18 can stop at the information tent, get a $3 coupon that can be used for fresh produce, and they can go off and get fresh veggies, fresh fruit at the market. And they get to then learn about the farmers that come to the market, and they start to develop these relationships. And they're always asking me you know, I can tell that most of the kids, they want the fruit. They want, where are the blueberries? Where are the strawberries?
Colleen Armitage:Where are the cherries? So, you know, I'm like, oh, you know what? I think Corian has those this week, or I think Country Mill has apples, you know, kind of a thing. And we get to at in my job, sitting at the info tent, I get to learn about these kids and these families, and the program has grown about 33% in the last two years to where we had to get a bigger sponsor this year, which was the East Lansing before and aftercare program. They're sponsoring the whole thing so that we can have this program throughout the entire season.
Colleen Armitage:And the kids really love it because then they get to wake up every Sunday morning, and they're like, let's go to the farmer's market. They're the ones dragging their parents to the market itself, and it's just so much fun to see it.
Anna Liz Nichols:Yeah. I very much wanna ask you about some of these vendors. But from what I'm hear no. Because you started the conversation by saying, you know, I really want to start with what the city of East Lansing and its residents and families want and, like, build a farmer's market from there. It sounds like what you've keyed in on, and if I'm misreading this, let me know, is a desire from families and also young people for third place where the the though the farmer's market, you know, you think strawberries, you think, watermelon, just fruit.
Anna Liz Nichols:So much of what you've already talked about is this community building is having a third place to go to. What have been some of the in the last year or even the the two years? I know it's technically been two two and a half years for you
Colleen Armitage:Right.
Anna Liz Nichols:Right. Your role.
Colleen Armitage:That's
Anna Liz Nichols:fine. Two two seasons, two and a half seasons. What have been some of the, you know, desired changes or or or inclusions in the farmer's market?
Colleen Armitage:One of my favorite vendors is actually a coffee vendor called Peculiar Coffee. And they started last year, and they have been a huge part of the farmer's market, mainly because early in the morning, you're barely awake. Where do you go? And it's coffee. And that's what I use to function for the rest of my market is going to these coffee places.
Colleen Armitage:But they have gained quite the following, and a lot of people will now start their market there at the coffee place, and then they will go through and look at the other vendors, but they need their coffee. So one of the fun things is seeing how they build relationships in the community. And then those people, while they're waiting, will come talk to me at the info tent, and will then talk to other vendors while they're waiting for their coffee. And it is a nice building of community right there in the middle, talking to new people. I now know several more names of our community members than I did a week ago because I'll stand there and I'll talk to everybody.
Colleen Armitage:And last year, a fun little story is we saw these very tall women start walking through the market, and I'm like, who are they? They are very tall. They're absolutely wonderful, and I just love their vibe. So I tracked them down, and we started talking, and it ended up being the MSU women's basketball team. And they come every single week now.
Colleen Armitage:I was so excited. I gave them free totes. They loved the coffee vendor. They'll sit and they'll chat if we've got, like, tables and chairs out and everything. We like to have coloring pages out for the kids, and they will frequently just sit and they will color with their coffee.
Colleen Armitage:And they didn't do that before, but they started coming last year. And because we made such a connection, now they're coming almost every week. And they don't have to. They're the women's MSU basketball team. They've got things to do.
Colleen Armitage:Mhmm. And I am just incredibly honored that one of the things they wanna do is to come to the market. And they have not only built a relationship with us at the market, but they're building a relationship with each other and the community by doing this. They are just so present, and those women are just absolutely fantastic.
Anna Liz Nichols:Love women's sports. Right? No. That's so fun. Yeah.
Anna Liz Nichols:It sounds like this is really like, don't get me wrong. I you can get it's not just produce at the farmer's market. It's it's also products, like, full, like, loaves of bread, cakes. I think we do stuff outside of food at the farmer's market. Basically, it's it's not, yeah, it's not just you buy ingredients.
Anna Liz Nichols:There's there's full products. There's Aladdin is one of the vendors. That's spinach pies. That's what I get there.
Colleen Armitage:Oh, their shawarma is is undisputed. Yeah. But, yes, you can get maple syrup there. There is a vendor called Sapo that makes his own soaps and, like, ChapStick and things that are just fantastic. So it's beyond farmers, but let's face it.
Colleen Armitage:The people that really need the love right now are our farmers. They are a group of people that are aging, and we're not replacing them as quickly as we should be. And we need to show them all the love that we can give. No matter what market you attend, show the love to the farmers because they deserve every little bit. They are the ones keeping us going, and they are the backbones to a lot of the markets and what we do.
Colleen Armitage:Yeah. But, yes, we do have I mean, we have bakers and bread, We have cookies and people that make their own soaps. So we have fish, we have coffee, we have meat vendors that are organic and locally raised. It's it's a lot of fun, you know, figuring this out. And, oh, there's a we've now got a popcorn vendor, and we've got someone that roasts nuts.
Colleen Armitage:Oh, we also have the local epicurean that has fresh pasta. And if you've never had their tiramisu, you must try the tiramisu.
Anna Liz Nichols:Oh, that sounds pretty good. Yeah. Yeah. Like you said, Mich I mean, the aging farming population is a national issue, but Michigan, particularly in in farming, but also in trade careers, not to deviate too bad, but you're totally right. It's been, you know, an issue that we've seen coming for a long time now, both with trade careers and our farming economy Right.
Anna Liz Nichols:And aging, and we're not replacing those. And so it sounds like a lot of I mean, I keep coming back to this of of, yes, there's food. Yes. There's items at the for at the East Lansing Farmers Market, but there's also a sense of community. There's connection.
Anna Liz Nichols:There's opportunities to learn about, you know, how our local community works, but how our local community interacts with the state at large. It's interesting. Do you find that, you know, elements of the farmers market spurn these conversations about the importance of Michigan's agricultural business? I know we before this conversation, we briefly talked about, the recent addition of of a fish vendor to to the farmers market at the request of residents and how it's leading to conversations about, you know, this this people want salmon. Right.
Anna Liz Nichols:Right. But we learn that the the the the fishing season for salmon, the time to to harvest is not maybe in the in the early summer, like, people want to to have a salmon dish.
Colleen Armitage:Right. Everybody wants salmon, and and why not? Salmon is delicious. But through getting this fish vendor, you know, we're able to have these conversations as to why they don't have salmon right now. They do have smoked salmon Mhmm.
Colleen Armitage:But they they aren't allowed to fish salmon until, I believe, mid August in Michigan. So they are very responsible about how they handle a very precious resource in Michigan. And, obviously, most of us, even though we want fish, we're going to respect the laws and regulations when it comes to the fisheries. It's it's a lot like going hunting, and you wouldn't hunt a deer outside of a certain parameter or turkeys or pheasants. It's the same kind of thing as that.
Colleen Armitage:So although we want salmon, I will have to wait for the salmon. But the nice thing about being the market manager is once we open up at 10AM, I can be the first in line.
Anna Liz Nichols:There you go. Yeah. What have been some other, you know, moments with the farmer's market, these community building or educational moments that have stood out to you maybe already? I believe the farmer's market season started in May this year. What has what have been some of the the key moments for you in in this this farmer's market season?
Colleen Armitage:Oh, you know, starting it in May this year was actually a lot of fun. We worked with the East Lansing Art Festival this year. They wanted to kinda expand what they're doing. So we tested it out, and I thought that it went pretty well. So the nice thing about working for the city and having the art festival art festival also work for the city is we actually share an office.
Colleen Armitage:And you can't see right now, but she is behind me listening to every word I say. And I can hear her laughing and judging me.
Anna Liz Nichols:Shout out to the art festival.
Colleen Armitage:Yeah. Shout out to the art festival behind me. Yeah, shout And, out to Heather Mohano. She's fantastic. And we can sit here, and we can come up with ideas about how to make our community events like the Farmers Market, the Art Festival, the Jazz Festival, which I'm also the coordinator for.
Colleen Armitage:How can we make everything better? How can we represent the community? And we really enjoyed putting together something for the Art Festival, and I thought that was unique and special. I am really looking forward to we are building something for, like, book lovers, and we're going to get kids to come out and and read to us. So we're still kinda looking at what we can do for that.
Colleen Armitage:We were looking at originally, like, a book swap, but that has turned into, well, what if we got service dogs and we got kids to read to the service dogs? And what if we got kids to read to us? What if how can we get kids engaged during the summer without it feeling like a school program? How can we get kids to love to learn during the school season? And I know that may not sound like that is a farmer's market problem, but the farmer's market is a perfect opportunity to bring the community together and do something with your family that is easy and cheap and will take up a lot of time during the day when you might not have something going on.
Colleen Armitage:It's on a Sunday, so you can do it before church, after church. You know, if you don't go to church at all, you can still come through. We have live music that happens. We've got the nice thing also about being at a park is that there's a playground right there. We're constantly doing things with families and kids and just trying to make a very welcoming atmosphere.
Colleen Armitage:This year was also our second year doing a pride event, which is just a little thing that just lets everybody know that you're welcome, you're seen, you're heard, and we love you. So we were giving out, like, little crocheted pocket hugs that were rainbow, and we work with the East Lansing Pride to to do giveaways and things like that. So we're always looking for new ways that we can represent the community. I love our little pride event. I loved our little Juneteenth event.
Colleen Armitage:We've got one of my favorite things that we do is actually the Autumn Fest. Mhmm. And that happens early October, and everything is free. And we get a company to come out to provide free pro pony rides, free petting zoo. We do free pumpkin painting.
Colleen Armitage:We do free games, free face painting. Everything is free. And that draws a huge crowd because how many places actually have free pony rides? And many people in the community have actually told me this is the only time that they can actually get their kids close to an animal from the farm to get them onto a pony because other places, other fairs, and festivals, they charge $10.12, $15 to ride these adorable little ponies, and this is free. Oh.
Anna Liz Nichols:Pony rides are free?
Colleen Armitage:Pony rides are free, but they do have a weight limit, so boo for me. I have been trying to get them to, like, bring, like, actual, like, horses and let me ride, but the the risk is great that I would try to steal one. But everything is free, and it really is it's like it's about giving back to the community. And many members of the community have said this is the only time that you get to ride a pony. They get to pet a goat.
Colleen Armitage:They get to hold a bunny because it is free. Mhmm. And it really responds to people of all demographics, and that's what we try to hit. You're not gonna always please everybody. That's impossible to do, but I try my best to get as many people as I can.
Anna Liz Nichols:Yeah. You know, in terms of food security, I was wondering as as someone who organizes this this ongoing program, what you feel like the role of the farmers market, is or how it performs with East Lansing food security. I know the East Lansing farmers market, accepts SNAP slash bridge cards. Yes. And they are a participant in the Double Up Food Bucks program.
Anna Liz Nichols:Yep. You maybe you could tell us a little bit more about that of how, you know, farmers markets across Michigan kind of help people stretch, their dollar further.
Colleen Armitage:Yeah. So anybody that has SNAP EBT can come to the market. We are a a wooden token market, so you would come see me, and we would process your your card and give you those tokens. But then with the Double Up Food Bucks, we give you up to $50 that you take out. So if you were to take out $30, you would get $30 in the Double Up Food Bucks money.
Colleen Armitage:So you almost for your 30, you get 60.
Anna Liz Nichols:Mhmm.
Colleen Armitage:And the nice thing about the Double Up Food Bucks program is that you do not have to use those coins strictly at my farmer's market. You can take those over to Meridian, South Lansing. You could wait for the farmer's market on the capital with those. You can use them throughout the entire farmer's market year at any farmer's market in the state of Michigan. So you could hoard them.
Colleen Armitage:You can keep them for as long as you want. You just have to use them in the year. And the wooden tokens now this is where it gets a little tricky. The wooden tokens, you have to use at the farmer's market that you get them from. Mhmm.
Colleen Armitage:So you have to be very careful because my coins and Meridian's coins look very similar. Mhmm. So the vendors do have to kinda watch out, and you have to watch out if you're taking them out where you use them. You have until the end of the season to use your EBT wooden coins, but most use them like the day of. But, again, that is fine if you wanna wait until the last market to use them.
Colleen Armitage:You just have to make sure you're using the East Lansing wooden tokens at the East Lansing Farmers Market. The silver coins that you get, which are $2 increments and can be used for produce only
Anna Liz Nichols:Mhmm.
Colleen Armitage:Those can be used throughout the state of Michigan. Mhmm. Any market that accepts the EBT double up food bucks, you can use those at. Mhmm. The wooden tokens, they can be used on pretty much anything other than hot prepared food items.
Colleen Armitage:So you you mentioned Aladdin's earlier, and, you know, we said how amazing their shawarma is. And I believe you said the the spinach pie?
Anna Liz Nichols:They're just the simple, like, spinach pies.
Colleen Armitage:Yes. So you could use your EBT snap wooden coins on any of the baked good products that they have. You just wouldn't be able to use it on, like, the shawarma.
Speaker 2:So
Colleen Armitage:things like that. But we have many, many vendors that accept the the Snap Double Ups. We just have to make sure that the Double Up food buck coins are going to where they need to go. So you can basically just use those at the farmer stands. But and then they get reimbursed at the end of the month, the farmers do.
Anna Liz Nichols:Yeah. So it does it it it's a a flow of commerce to Michigan farmers farmer to market vendors. It it it creates a flow of of of patronage to
Colleen Armitage:It does.
Anna Liz Nichols:The farmer's market.
Colleen Armitage:Yeah. It does. Well, and a lot of people that use the snap double up food box, they also you know, they have children, and they also take advantage of our pop club. So they get an extra three dollars per child, and the kids absolutely love running around that market looking for produce for just them. And then they will come back to the info desk, and they will tell us about, like, what they got.
Colleen Armitage:Or we do give them journals, and the kids will journal as to what they got at the market. And it just it builds a community with the farmers, with us, and it gets kids and families excited to come to the market and to use those coupons on fresh produce. Mhmm. We try very hard to to support the people of East Lansing. It's very near and dear to my heart.
Colleen Armitage:Growing up, there was not a lot for my family, and we had to really stretch a dollar.
Anna Liz Nichols:Mhmm.
Colleen Armitage:And I understand very well what what that can do to a family. And so having these programs available is very near and dear to my heart, which is why I fight so hard to have the the pop club because I can see the difference. Yeah. And I'm someone that grew up very much needing that assistance. And I'm very thankful for what I did have when I was growing up, but it's in this job, I am now able to to make that go like, pay it forward.
Colleen Armitage:I'm able to do that, and it makes me feel really good about my job.
Anna Liz Nichols:Yeah. You know, we talked a bit about how, you know, the vendors and and the the event as a whole, pours into the community. How does getting to participate in the farmer's market, having access to this customer base, this this visibility even in the heart of our downtown area near our campus, Michigan State University campus. What do the vendors get get some benefit from this? Are they all Michigan based vendors?
Anna Liz Nichols:Are some of them, you very local to East Lansing? What does this look like? Are some of them small businesses? Who who's at the the farmer's market, and how do maybe even they benefit economically?
Colleen Armitage:Every single one of our vendors is from the state of Michigan. They are local within 50 miles of the city of East Lansing. All are Michigan based products. All are Michigan farmers. The and all of them are small businesses.
Colleen Armitage:So by coming to the East Lansing Farmers Market, you know that the person that you are paying for your product is the person that has the small business. You are supporting them personally by coming to the East Lansing Farmers Market, and you yourself have the power to keep these people doing what they love to do. It starts small. It starts simply. But watching these vendors grow from year to year, it just warms my heart because it makes me realize that it's not you have the option to go to Walmart, go to Meijer every single week.
Colleen Armitage:But the people of East Lansing and the surrounding areas, they choose to come to the East Lansing Farmers Market. They choose to go to Meridian, to South Lansing. They choose to go to these farmers markets, just because they want fresh produce. They want the connection. They want the community.
Colleen Armitage:You're not getting that at Meijer. You're not getting that at Walmart. You you're getting it at the farmer's market, and that's exactly what the farmer's markets used to be. They weren't just a place for you to come shop. They were places where you could come and grow yourself as a person.
Speaker 2:East Lansing Insider brought to you by ELI on Impact eighty nine FM. We are on the web at eastlancinginfo.newsandimpact89fm.org. Thanks for listening.