Greetings! We are gearing up for the Downtown Bloomington Farmers' Market 2010 season. We are ready to start accepting applications from farmers and prepared food vendors. We have also scheduled our pre-season meeting for farmers and prepared food vendors -- and we are hoping to see you there.
Our 2010 pre-season Farmers' Market meeting is scheduled for March 6 from 10:00 a.m. until noon in the Community Room of the Bloomington Public Library, located at 205 E. Olive Street. This meeting will provide an opportunity for you to meet other prospective vendors, ask questions, and get additional information about the Downtown Bloomington Farmers' Market. We will meet with artists at a separate meeting being scheduled later in March.
We will also be using the March 6 meeting to introduce and recognize our 2009 and 2010 farmers' market volunteers. Since we are planning a light brunch buffet, we will need an idea of how many people to expect, so please send us an RSVP using the link provided at the end of this email.
We are hoping to have most vendor applications submitted electronically this year. We expect this approach will save paper and postage, avoid errors resulting when we have to re-enter vendor information into our records, and make things easier for everyone involved. However, we will still accept paper applications from those not able to access the electronic application. Anyone needing a paper application should contact the Downtown Bloomington Association office at 309-829-9599.
Unfortunately, we will need to increase booth fees this year -- to $250 per space for the regular season. We will also need to begin charging a $50 fee for the Thanksgiving Market. We are increasing fees reluctantly, but out of necessity. We have been exceeding our budget for the last several years -- and these increases will enable us to get our budget back into balance.
We have checked fees for other farmers' markets in the area, and we feel our fees continue to be reasonable in comparison. All of the fees you pay are invested directly into market operations and promotions -- and costs are kept to a minimum through the use of volunteers and donation of administrative support from Downtown Bloomington Association. We will cover the budget in more detail and give you an opportunity to ask questions during our March 6 meeting.
The Market will open on May 15 and will continue on Saturday mornings through October 30. Again this year, we will sponsor a Thanksgiving Market on the weekend before Thanksgiving - November 20 - at the U. S. Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Vendors participating in the regular season will have an opportunity to participate in this popular holiday market on a "space available" basis.
Please note that vendors are responsible for adhering to government regulations, including State Sales Tax and Health Department requirements. If you have any questions about food handling regulations or products that can be sold at the Farmers' Market, please call the McLean County Health Department at 309-888-5450. If a permit is required, the Health Department will make arrangements for an inspection on the first date you attend the Market. Health Department and other officials may visit the Market periodically to assure compliance with regulations.
Here is what we need from you:
Approved applicants will receive their booth assignments by April 15. If you have questions about the Market, please email Elaine Sebald at bloomington_farmersmarket@yahoo.com or email Downtown Bloomington Association Events & Outreach Coordinator, Jennifer Mullinix, at jmullinix@downtownbloomington.org. You may also call Jennifer at 309-829-9599.
We are looking forward to your participation in the 2010 Downtown Bloomington Farmers' Market and hope to see you at our pre-season meeting on March 6.
DOWNTOWN BLOOMINGTON FARMERS' MARKET
Elaine Sebald
Shae Davidson
Gemma Truman Billings
FARMERS' MARKET COORDINATING COMMITTEE
DOWNTOWN BLOOMINGTON ASSOCIATION
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