Westside Farmers Market held their annual College Night on Tuesday, Sept. 3 to try to get students involved with their weekly summer market.
“It gives the college students a chance to experience the farm, you know,” stall owner Collette said, “the small business experience and engag[ing].”
Students who attended received free tote bags and five-dollar chips to use at any of the stalls.
“I wanted to come anyways,” senior Alex Saunders said, “but I saw it [was College Night] and I was like, you know, definitely I’m going to come.”
The Westside Farmers Market has run on Tuesdays from June to October for 17 years, with many different special events sprinkled throughout. These events can range from College Night to an apple pumpkin festival, to crafting lessons taught by the vendors themselves.
“All the vendors have, like besides just the really cool stuff that they sell, they have these really incredible skill sets,” Westside Market Manager Jessica DiSalvo said. “They’re really cool people, and they’re all, like, interested in sharing and educating.”
But more than just getting to talk to the vendors, the market presents a cheap opportunity to get fresh food, especially for broke college students.
“It’s cheaper than going to a grocery store for most of it for a lot better quality,” Saunders said.
Westside will continue to run through Oct. 8, and even if you missed College Night, there’s more exciting programming to come. Next Tuesday will feature Craft Night, the second of this season.
“We had our first Craft Night on Aug. 6, and that was really, really, really great,” DiSalvo said. “I think a couple of the vendors even were UR students.”
For those looking to get more involved in the community, whether as volunteers or otherwise, the Westside Farmers Market has plenty of opportunities.
“There are lots of different roles that we are looking to have some support,” DiSalvo said. “I think it’s very tailored towards what you would like to do.”
To get involved, you can visit the website and fill out an application. You can also call or email DiSalvo directly.
One such volunteer, senior Sarah Tierney, chose to do her Urban Fellows capstone project as a collaboration with the market.
“I chose to do it with Westside Market because I already knew it, and I love the people, and I like the mission,” Tierney said. “I wish that more people in this school knew about it, and it kind of gets people involved in the […] community.”
According to DiSalvo, College Night was a success, but there’s always room to improve.
“I would like to have more of a carnival kind of atmosphere,” DiSalvo said. “Like, I think some games would have been really cool. Our musician was fantastic.”
But even without possible expansions, the market was busy all afternoon. The people who attend are what make the market possible, and DiSalvo appreciates everyone who walks through.
“I don’t even know how all the people found out, but I love that they did, and I love that they came,” said DiSalvo. “I can’t wait to see them again.”
