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Oak Park Farmers Market: Produce, Exercise, Music, and Oakie the Stowaway
(Cheryl Weiss, Aug. 14, 2018)
Oak Park, MI- Why is Oak Park becoming a destination on Wednesday mornings?  The new Farmers Market, which just started in July, is becoming a weekly tradition for many residents and visitors.  It is not just the array of fresh fruit and vegetables picked on local farms; it’s the atmosphere, variety of vendors and the focus on healthy living in an entertaining manner that make the market a midweek celebration.
“I have wanted a Farmers Market in Oak Park for seven years, so this is a dream come true,” said Mayor Marian McClellan.
For residents who love farm fresh produce, the array of items at the market is what they love most.  They select sweet corn on the cob, tomatoes in a rainbow of colors, a variety of squash, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, onion, and more.  There are unusual vegetables too, such as watermelon cucumbers, which are growing in popularity.  They are tiny, the size of cherry tomatoes, but striped like watermelons. They taste like cucumbers, but with a slight bitter taste.
According to Maralee Rosemond, Recreation Coordinator for the City of Oak Park, the produce at the Farmers Market is top notch.  “This is local, you know where your food is coming from.  When you bite into that strawberry, it’s strawberry through and through.  Residents remember the tastes, like when they were kids and had fresh vegetables from the garden.  The people are here; you can ask questions about where the food is from.”   Rosemond added, “One reason we started in July is because this is the Michigan market; July is when we can harvest.  There is no kiwi here, no mangoes, just Michigan products.  This is my passion.  I want people to be healthy.”
Residents have requested that they consider changing the market time, because the market is open during the time many people are at work, from 9:00am until 1:00 pm.  They would like the market to be open on weekends or evenings.
Rosemond explained, “Afternoon markets are difficult, because for most farmers, it takes at least 90 minutes to get home.  That means they pack up, drive home, get home at 9:30 or 10:00 at night, must unload the truck, get to bed at midnight, then the day starts again at 4:30am.  And they have other markets too; this is their livelihood.  We want to support our Michigan businesses.”  Indeed, each week, attendance is growing at the market.  Mayor McClellan shared that during a conversation with a vendor, she was told that they had never seen a first-time market so successful!
But fresh produce is just the beginning; there are many other vendors with delicious items.  Deep Water Shrimp Co. has shrimp and scallops for sale, complete with someone dressed up as a lobster to entertain the crowd.  Cookies and other bakery items are available from HOPE (Helping Operations for People Empowerment).  The bakery proceeds fund programs to help the community.  Led by Rev. Samuel Spruill, the organization partners with Michigan State to create a community garden.  They then give away the garden produce to the community, and they teach people to cook healthy food.  In this way, each purchase helps other people.
Another vendor is Delphine Drake, who owns Jamaican Seasons.  Her products are in Whole Foods, Westborn, Market Fresh, Eastern Market, and other locations.  All her products are local, with no preservatives or MSG.  “They should check me out because my customers let me know how great my seasonings are.  I sell all over the world.  I have customers in London, Saudi Arabia, etc.  They load up while they are here, and my spices can be shipped, “she said.  Other vendors include juice, teas, baked goods,  Nova Chiropractic, and Fortson Dentistry, who is often involved in the community .
When market visitors get hungry, they can stop for a hot dog.  The vendors are retired Michigan State Police Troopers.  They invented their own sauce that they put on top of the hot dogs, and customers love them so much that they often sell out.  Getting a hot dog, chips, and pop is becoming a market tradition for many weekly shoppers.
Oak Park resident Mildred Warren visits most weeks.   “I enjoy coming out and shopping, enjoying the fresh air and music, it’s very relaxing.  I’ve been coming here all but one week.  I put it on my calendar,” Warren said. What brings her here every week?  She likes the fruits, vegetables, and other vendors, along with the health ideas, and the gift items she purchased.  For example, there was a pencil made of fallen tree branches.
“That is so different!” Warren said.  “It’s something that reminds you of nature and the creativity of someone to think of making it.”  She likes that Beaumont Hospital is a part of it also, with information about healthy living. Another benefit she sees about the Oak Park Farmers Market is that there is plenty of space to walk as well as shady areas to sit.  Indeed, every week people gather to relax in the shade, often meeting old friends, seeing their neighbors, or making new friends.  It has become the new meeting place in Oak Park.  Keith McClellan said, “It’s growing, I like that.  More and more people are coming.  I like that they have at least two fresh fruit and vegetable vendors so there’s a choice.  There is lots of diversity in terms of things to buy.”
As Warren said, there is much more to the Oak Park Farmers Market than the produce.  Humana, who sponsors the Farmers Market, has a table there each week with an interactive activity for shoppers to complete.  They are given a passport, and collect stamps by visiting selected vendors. Humana also gives out free items each week, such as pens, jar openers, and other useful items.  One week, they had a wheel to spin with health and nutrition questions for people to answer.  At the end of the market, shoppers who have collected most of their stamps will receive a prize.   Rosemond appreciates Humana’s support.  “For us to have Humana back this, this is huge.  Without Humana, this would not happen,” she said.
Another aspect of the Oak Park Farmers Market is cooking.  Last week, the MSU Extension Booth had demonstrations on how to make Italian herb sachets for use in recipes and sauces.  Next week, August 15th, there will be a cooking demonstration, featuring healthy recipes using produce from the market.
Every week at the Oak Park Farmers Market features a different local musician.  Last week, the kids from day camp gathered around the music tent to dance and sing along.  When the musician took a break, visitors were encouraged to stop by the big tent in the center of the market for a Silver Sneakers demonstration.  Silver Sneakers is a fitness program for senior citizens with certain Medicare health plans.  It provides unlimited access to a large network of local fitness centers with Silver Sneakers classes for all fitness levels at no cost.  Silver Sneakers programs are available for 500,000 people in Michigan, and there are 15,000 locations across the United States for Silver Sneakers members, such as local branches of the YMCA, LA Fitness, and more. To find out if you are eligible, call 888-423-4632 or go to www.silversneakers.com/check.
The Oak Park Recreation Department has a table at the market also, to share information about their health-related programs. During the week, free exercise classes are offered at the Oak Park Recreation Department through funding by the National Kidney Foundation.  Enhanced Fitness is 9:00 -10:00am daily.  It is free, but limited to 55 people and classes fill quickly so people are encouraged to arrive early .   Also, they offer Splash Bash at the Oak Park Pool from 9:00 -10:00 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
If you were at the Oak Park Farmers Market last week, you may have met Oakie.  Who is Oakie?  She is a stowaway chicken from the Sharkar Farm!  Apparently, the three-year-old hen wanted to check out Oak Park and see the market, so she hid in the truck without anyone seeing her.  What a surprise it was when she appeared as Sharon Ostrowski, co-owner of the farm, unloaded the truck Wednesday morning!  Now named Oakie, for Oak Park, she was calm and friendly, allowing visitors to pet her.  For a while, she was in a box under the table.  Then, when a visitor asked about her, and Ostrowski took her out of the box, Oakie saw her chance to see more of Oak Park and escaped for a short time.  She walked quickly into the parking lot, almost into the path of a car, while Ostrowski and her daughter chased her by the parking lot on Oak Park Blvd.  Visitors watched, stunned, with a few giggles as the hen tried her best to go on an adventure. She was soon caught, however, and returned to her box.
Ostrowski shared that they do not slaughter hens on her farm; they are raised to provide fresh eggs and are allowed to live out their natural lives.  Currently, they have 75 hens, and most live between four and five years.  “If you hold them and pet them when they are little, they are friendly.  Oakie always goes out during the day and goes in at night. She knows to roost up high, away from predators.
While Oakie may not visit the Oak Park Farmers Market every week, the Recreation Department has big plans for next year already.  Laurie Stasiak, Recreation Director, said, “We are building something better for next year.”  Rosemond wants to add activities for kids, such as cooking and healthy activities.  “Kids will choose fruit over chips if they are involved,” she said.  “We are seeing kids at nine years old that are diabetic.  This year we focused on family and seniors.  Next year it will be full circle – start them young.”
Resident Steve Gold enjoys coming to the Oak Park Farmers Market each week.  “I wanted the ability to get fresh locally grown produce.  I like the health-related stuff, such as blood pressure checks.  There are good desserts, pleasant music, there’s a very open market feeling.  Unlike Birmingham and Royal Oak [Farmers Markets], there is no problem with parking, and it’s easily accessible.”
The Oak Park Farmers Market will be open every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through September 26th, 2018 next to Oak Park City Hall, 14000 Oak Park Blvd, Oak Park, MI.  For more information, call 248-691-7555.