After reading that the Bayfield Town Board is considering moving our Farmers Market, I have to express my thoughts. Our country is in the middle of an upsurge of interest in healthier eating and interest in food sources. Witness the huge rise in community gardens, school gardens, library gardens, display gardens, soup kitchen gardens and the list goes on.

Bayfield is working so hard to "brand" itself. The rural farming and ranching community, complete with the values that are passed down through that lifestyle: honesty, sharing, caring, and small community atmosphere, readily define what has historically made Bayfield a great place to live and underlie what happens at our Farmers Market. Brand us for what we are, not what someone envisions we might become.

If vendors are licensed and insured they may, indeed, be considered to be "commercial" enterprises and cause ownership of the park to be more endangered than a "disorganized" gathering of like-minded people wanting to enjoy some fresh local produce and visit with a few neighbors.

Moving the market to the sports area off Mill Street would most likely deal a death blow to the market since there is no available parking in the area during games. People at the games aren't there to buy corn; people passing through town would have trouble finding the market.

As anyone with a knowledge of the economics of raising food understands, the profit margin on food sold at a farmers market is slim to none. Moving the market away from its highway exposure would probably kill it, depriving us of fresh produce and letting surplus fruits and vegetables go to waste.

Charging for a license will probably be a major deterrent to participation. The income simply isn't there to support charging fees to participate in the market. I hardly think that $25 for being able to sell for 12 days at most is fair. A vendor might have lettuce and peas to sell in June, nothing in July, then tomatoes, corn and raspberries in August. However, he/she won't be able to work several weeks because there is not any produce to sell. Those of us with fruit trees have fingers crossed that this is the one year in five that the fruit survives freezes, wind and hail storms. If we are lucky enough to have excess produce wouldn't it be nice to have a way to disperse it in the community?

Call it a "Fair" instead of a Farmers Market and leave it alone to serve the purpose it is serving. I don't think it is fair to the community to live in dread of what CDOT might decide to do. This is a seasonal activity which the town board could easily include in its recreational activities. It is a great gathering place for the community and serves other functions but it does not make our local growers wealthy.

Carolyn Brown

Bayfield