KV Oasis wants to breathe new life into a summer farmers market in Quispamsis.
The youth non-profit plans to hold a Saturday market at the Quispamsis Arts & Culture Park.
Amy Hickey, executive director of KV Oasis, presented the plans to town council on Tuesday night.
“We would be making some changes to the previous iteration of the market that was here before,” said Hickey.
The KV Oasis Market would run on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. from June through September.
Hickey is working with several volunteers, including Brian Boucher, who used to run the Kingston Farmers Market.
She said they would “prioritize better vendor relationships, better advertising, and better site organization” to ensure the weekly market runs smoothly.
The market, said Hickey, would serve as a “really good sustainable fundraising opportunity” for KV Oasis, which operates a youth centre in the town.
“That’s something that we’ve struggled with in the past, having consistent year-over-year fundraisers. This one could provide us up to $34,000 in potential fundraising revenue,” she said.
Vendors would be charged $25 a week to set up and there would be no entrance fees for patrons.
Youth volunteers and staff from KV Oasis would maintain and clean the site every week, said Hickey.
Coun. Mike Biggar questioned why they made the decision to move the market from Sunday to Saturday.
He noted the previous operator decided to set up on Sunday so “they didn’t step on the toes” of other farmers markets happening on Saturday.
But Boucher said he does not see that being an issue and noted that vendors often travel three or four hours to do multiple markets on a Saturday.
“So many people are trying to get into the markets and there just isn’t room,” Boucher said.
“It’s not a matter of competing with the Kingston market. I think there’s more than enough vendors to make both of them more than successful
While council gave the go-ahead for KV Oasis to move ahead with the markets, they denied a request to waive the park’s rental fee.
The town’s policy regarding the reduction or waiving of rental fees at town facilities says waivers will not be considered for “fundraisers or other events held to raise money in support of an individual, charity of other group.”
Follow
