The Sackville Farmers Market is looking for a new manager. Longtime market manager Michael Freeman is moving on, taking on a new job as a caseworker for street involved youth in Moncton.
CHMA spoke with him to find out more:
Freeman says there’s been lots of changes at the Farmers Market in the roughly eight years since he first took on the job of manager, including the growth of businesses that sometimes move on to become brick and mortar shops.
One of the big developments is the market’s relationship with the town government. “We have built up a very, very good relationship with the town of Sackville,” says Freeman. “They dish out all kinds of lovely in-kind benefits: use of the park, all kinds of promotion and logistical assistance.”
Though the market has been around in one form or another for about 35 years, it incorporated in 2012, and a formal relationship with the town started to develop in the ensuing years.
“We have a very strong volunteer board, the majority of whom are vendors at the market and business owners in Sackville,” says Freeman. The board does committee work involving development of the organization and long term planning.
Freeman says the role of market manager has grown over the years he’s held the position, now including not just Saturday logistics, but also promotion, professional development, and grant writing. “It reflects all of the things that go into coordinating a large weekly event in this town,” says Freeman.
Freeman says it was a difficult decision to leave the market, and he will remain a Sackville resident, commuting to work in Moncton. “I think I might be a Sackville lifer,” he says. “And I’ll probably be at the market just as much as always, but as a customer.”
The market board is accepting applications on an ongoing basis until April 16, 2022, and hoping to fill the position as soon as possible. Details of the job are available online.
The market happens every Saturday on Lorne Street, and will be moving to its summer location in the Bill Johnstone Memorial park for the first Saturday in May.
Some wheels were in motion for a future permanent location for the Sackville Farmers Market, as part of a potential future multi-purpose building being considered by the town of Sackville. The rough estimate for an 11,000 square foot building to accommodate the market and a new recreation space came in at about $3.4 million, staff told council in November. Councillors expressed interest in continuing to explore options for the building, but staff made clear that the size of the project means it is a few years off.
After the amalgamation of Sackville into Entity 40, any future planning for the building would have to be done by a new council, to be elected in November.
