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Farmers market launching new season in new location

Organizers ready for a great summer with lots of variety
2022-06-29 Rock Farmers Market MH
Porcupine District Agricultural Society president Rock Whissell at the new site of the weekly Mountjoy Farmers' Market.

A new season of the Mountjoy Farmers' Market launches this weekend in a new location — across the road from their previous site. 

The permanent home of the weekly market is 537 Pavillion Dr. Instead of being in Participark on the north side of Riverside Drive, the vendors will be in the parking lot that used to house GameOn Ball Hockey and is an access point to the Mattagami River.

“Approximately 15 months ago, Barry Petroski called me in his office and asked me if we’d be willing to move to this new location and that he was willing to donate the property to the Porcupine District Agricultural Society,” explained Rock Whissell, who's the president of the society.

In May, the society donated the land to the City of Timmins. The group has the first right of refusal to use the property for its events and plans to build the pavilion it's been fundraising for at the new site.

The first Mountjoy Farmers' Market of the season is this Saturday, July 2 from 9 a.m. to noon.

“We’ve got a great lineup this year, we’ve got over 22 vendors already registered and I think it’s going to be a great summer with lots of variation,” said Whissell. 

The group had outgrown the old space, said Whissell, and they have a lot more room now with 2.5 acres of paved land to use.

"Last year we went through 28 different vendors. Hopefully this year we can even have more than 28. It gives us opportunities to have more activities around the market to do other activities and to put this permanent building up on this property and have it for other events as well,” he said.

The group is always looking for new vendors and there is space to just set up for a week. 

To be a farmers' market, they need to have 51 per cent farmers each week. Whissell said if you have food growing in your garden and want to sell it, all you have to do is fill out a from from the Porcupine Health Unit to qualify for a booth. 

Each week, there will be animals or non-profit organizations, as well. 

This week, there will be baby chicks and July 9 the Mountjoy volunteer firefighters will be on-hand.