Manitoba's largest farmers market is celebrating 30 years this weekend.
St. Norbert Farmers' Market will open for the season on Saturday, beginning its 30th year as a gathering place for Manitoba makers, bakers and farmers.
"When the market opened in 1988, there were eight vendors on the grass. It didn't even open until into July. There was nothing on the site, just a big grassy site and eight vendors," said Marilyn Firth, executive director of the market.
"The funny story that I always hear is that when the vendors were there, because it was new and not many people came, they mostly sat around and talked to each other and bought each other's stuff."
That's not the case anymore. On a busy Saturday in recent years, the market has about 130 vendors, Firth said, all of them local to the province.
"It's an event to come to our market and people really enjoy coming out and spending time. It's a real gathering place for people and I think that's really made it a really nice place for people to come so they enjoy coming every week," she said.
Fiddlers, cake and dancing on the menu
Firth said that when the market started, it was one of the only farmers markets in Winnipeg — but that's changed, too, she said.
"It's taken a while. It's only been in the last maybe eight years we've really seen this resurgence of farmers markets," Firth said.
"It's really wonderful to see, because different areas in the city now and of course all over the province, there's a lot more farmers markets than there were.
To celebrate 30 years, the market has lined up a fiddle jam and fiddle performances, as well as an appearance from dancers and a youth string orchestra. They're also serving up a birthday cake.
New this year will be a fully enclosed canopy and home skills workshops led by vendors. The skills include weaving, spinning, canning and yogurt-making — just a few examples — and will take place on Wednesday markets.
You can check out the first St. Norbert Farmers' Market of the season on Saturday starting at 8 a.m.