A Growing Endeavor Lodi Farmers’ Market

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On any Friday afternoon in the Summer, you’ll find Lyn Lorenz sitting in her lawn chair in the parking lot of the Northern Edge restaurant.   But it’s not as strange as it sounds:  Lyn is watching over the weekly Farmers’ Market.  She’s got a smile and a hearty greeting for everyone that walks by–calling most by name and asking how things have been going over the past week.  She also has information, answers, and an occasional “Susie the Duck for President” button to give away.

The crowd that wanders through the market range from 5 to 95, and are wearing everything from bib overalls to business suits. The Lodi Farmers’ Market was the brain-child of Peg Zamisch.  In the winter of 2000-2001, Peg wrote an article in the Lodi Enterprise wondering if anyone would be interested in creating a market for farmers and local craftsmen to sell their food and wares.  The response was very positive.  And so, after much planning, the Lodi Farmers’ Market opened up in the summer of 2001.

Starting–and maintaining–a successful market takes more than just plunking down in an open space and saying you’ve got things to sell.   The organizers researched the project heavily and sought out the best resources they could find for information regarding the laws, best practices, guidelines, and tips to create a succusseful, sustainable market.  The UW Extension program was instrumental in getting the groundwork laid out.   There are no laws specifically governing markets in Wisconsin.  The UW Extension, however, was able put together a list of laws that govern the various activities that take place at the market.  The Market is very conscious of these laws and guidelines.

The rules are just the foundation on which the market is built.  The real structure comes from being a true part of the community.  The Farmers’ Market isn’t just a place where people buy stuff.  It’s a place where people interact, and a group which gives back to the community.   One of the most important parts of the market is what happens the morning after.  Inside the small barn are large ice chests.  These get filled with the unsold produce from vendors and donations from community members.  On Saturday morning, the Lodi Food Pantry stops by and collects the food.   The fresh fruits and vegetables are divided up and taken to needy families in the Lodi area and to the local senior citizens who can’t make it to the market.  The bounty of the community is given back to the community; nothing goes to waste.

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The interaction between the market and the community continually builds on itself.  Lyn is very proud of the barn, for example.  The money for the small structure came from the Roberta Arnold Community Fund.  During her time as City Board Supervisor, Arnold took her salary and put it into a special fund for community projects.  Using the money they received, the Market purchased the materials to build their barn.  The labor for the project was donated by Laurent Soucie’s industrial arts class at the Lodi High School.  There’s  even a little bit of local history built into the barn; some of the boards used to build it came from a local barn that had been torn down.

With the Market’s barn in place, they gained room to store more produce for the pantry.  And so it comes full circle; the money and labor they received from the community is, in turn, used to give food and friendship back to the community. The Lodi Farmers’ Market hasn’t been without its bumps in the road–sometimes literally!

In its first year, the market resided in the parking lot between Spring Creek and Main Street.  Space was a little tight and traffic was occasionally an issue, but it was a place to start.   When construction started on Highway 113 and the new City Hall, they had to move.   The owner of the Lodi Bowl offered his parking lot.  So, they picked up and moved to a new location.  A sudden fire shut down the bowling alley, leaving the market unsure of it’s future.   The surrounding businesses, however, stepped in and offered their resources to help the vendors; electricity and bathrooms being the two most important offerings.  Thanks to the Piggly Wiggly and Susie’s Car Wash, the market made it through the season.

The search for a new location ended with them moving just a quarter mile down the road to the parking lot of the City Limits.  When Annette Fassbender moved into the building and started the Northern Edge, she made sure that the Market knew they were welcome to stay.  Because it doesn’t own it’s own property, the market is dependent on the friendship of local businesses.  They’ve never been disappointed.

A market, however, can’t survive on good will alone.  It has to offer something that the community wants.  The Market succeeds in that aspect, too.  Fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, and flowers fill the tables.  There’s buffalo meat and fresh seafood for those with heartier appetites.  And there’s an array of crafts for those who appreciate the outdoors.  There are also special events, bands, presentations, workshops with professional gardeners, and special guests. The average shopper is becoming more and more aware of local markets and the wide variety of produce available fresh from the garden.  As Lyn says “Quality is very important [to us]. You not only know the goods you’re buying, but you know who you’re buying them from.”

Stop by on a Friday this summer and get a taste of “the food less traveled.”