Not your mama’s farmer’s market

CRESCO - There’s a new name and a new mission for the old Cresco Farmer’s Market. Re-dubbed the “Cresco Open Air Market,” the newly envisioned, weekly recurring event focuses on much more than just produce and bakery items.

The old Farmer’s Market, which started in 2008, was once billed as the state’s first county-wide Farmer’s Market. There was a market in every town, and each town had its own market manager.  Spiff Slifka of Howard County Business and Tourism coordinated with those managers so, from Tuesday to Saturday, there was a Farmer’s Market running somewhere in Howard County.

But times change and so did the Farmer’s Market. Many of the individual town markets closed or became irregular occurrences, and the number of vendors dwindled to single digits. “It’s always been that traditional Farmer’s Market, and people are looking for other things,” Slifka explained.

So in 2021, Slifka partnered with Josh Dansdill, the Business Development Projects Director of Northeast Iowa RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development), to write a grant for an overhauled Farmer’s Market, focused on sustainability.  

When the grant was awarded, one of the first things Slifka did was bring on new market manager Ashten Lienhard, and the two of them set to work.

Lienhard, who was born and raised in Decorah, moved to Cresco when she was 18. Her parents owned the Fireman’s Inn at Ridgeway, so she comes from a culinary background. She went to school for Business Management and Culinary Trade, graduating with honors, and now runs a cottage bakery and catering business called Parea (Parea is Greek for sitting with friends and enjoying everyone’s company). 

With Lienhard onboard, the restructuring has begun. The new market has changed locations and will occur only once a week (Thursdays). The time will also be later in the day, from 3-6 p.m., to better accommodate work schedules and those who come to the market from farther away.

One of the biggest changes of the Cresco Open Air Market is an all-welcoming stance to not only traditional market vendors, but also vendors who go beyond produce and baked goods. At the current time, Lienhard is working with a possible floral vendor as well as a vendor of homemade soaps. Artists are also welcome, like the homemade jewelry vendor with whom Lienhard is currently speaking.

“We welcome anybody to be a vendor,” Slifka said.

“But we don’t want mass-made products,” Lienhard added. “We want handmade, homemade, homegrown.”

 

Partnering

Another important change to the Open Air Market is its location. Partnering with Dollar Fresh, the first Thursday of every month will find the Cresco Open Air Market in the Dollar Fresh parking lot. All other Thursdays, the market will be in Beadle Park. The goal of both Highway 9 adjacent locations is to up the foot and car traffic the Open Air Market experiences.

“We’re also working toward having a Farmer’s Fable Corner.” Slifka said. “We would work with a teacher at the school to get Scholastic books at a discounted rate. Then we’d get sponsors to pay for the books, so every time a family comes to the Open Air Market, their kids get a free book.” There might even be a story time sponsored by the Library.

Other family-friendly ideas are in the works, too. Discussions are ongoing with Sue Barnes at the Iowa State University Howard County Extension Office about a community gardening project utilizing straw bale gardening. Partnering with the Cresco Open Air Market on this project would mean master gardeners would come to the market on specified dates to teach classes and answer questions.

“By bringing in more of these partners, whether it be master gardeners from the Extension, the Library, Dollar Fresh or other businesses, I just think we can offer something to a lot of people,” Slifka said. “We’re hoping that this becomes a destination.”

“This year is very experimental.” Lienhard added. “I’m excited. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

 

Vendor Support

With Lienhard in charge and the grant providing financial support, Slifka said, “We have an opportunity to really make some changes.”

One of those changes will be the level of support vendors can expect from the Open Air Market Manager. “I’m going to be there every single Thursday,” Lienhard said. 

Slifka and Lienhard have also launched a Facebook page (Cresco Iowa Open Air Market) that will serve as both an informational resource and a networking presence. Lienhard plans to offer free vendor advertising and spotlights through the Facebook page as well as other existing Cresco social media sites such as the Howard County website, the Cresco Chamber of Commerce website and the Visit Iowa county tourism group. “I’m toying with the idea of a newsletter,” Lienhard added. “Something to keep the community involved in how to connect with us.”

Something Slifka and Lienhard plan to keep from the prior Farmer’s Market structure is the great word-of-mouth benefits enjoyed by both seasonal and full-time vendors. Lienhard, who was a vendor last year, said, “It was really great. I met a lot of really great people . . . a lot of people who came back and are now regular customers.” And none of that will be changing.

 

Important Dates

To address the many changes and new vision of the Cresco Open Air Market, Lienhard and Slifka are holding a vendor meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Cresco Chamber of Commerce office. If you’re considering being a vendor, this meeting will lay out the new policies and answer any questions you have. You will also be able to sign up right then.

“We are welcoming all,” Slifka said. This includes vendors from outside of Howard County, the Amish, Mennonites … anyone who wants to find out more. 

The Cresco Open Air Market itself kicks off on Thursday, May 19, from 3-6 p.m. in Beadle Park. “This is the first year that we really have some support, some direction for vendors,” Slifka said. “We invite them to be a part of this inaugural year of change and innovation.”

If you want to know more about The Cresco Open Air Market, you can find them on Facebook at Cresco Iowa Open Air Market. The fee to become a vendor is $50 for the whole season, from May to October.