Sitka has many wonderful events that happen year after year; the Monthly Grind, Whalefest, the Running of the Boots and the Sitka Summer Music Festival, just to name a few. Our hope and dream has been to create one more tradition that people can look forward to year after year, summer after summer. Our goal was to create a Sitka Farmers Market that brings Native and non-Native people together to celebrate Sitka and the wonderful things people can do here, which includes growing, harvesting and sharing nutritious local food.

For the past two years, we have seen our dream come true and the seeds for even bigger and better markets have been sown. This happened because of tremendous amount of community support. To every vendor, shopper and sponsoring group that has made this happen, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation.

The Sitka Conservation Society (SCS), SEARHC, the Sitka office of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Alaska Native Sisterhood, Kayaaní Commission, Baranof Island Housing Authority and the Women, Infants, Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program have been tremendous and true partners. The delicious smell of grilling local black cod was made possible by the generous loan of the Reindeer Redhots cart to the Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association. To our friends at the historic Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, who have provided the perfect gathering space for a Sitka market, we say Gunalchéesh. We are grateful to the media in town, who time and again helped us to promote our market and our cause. Last but certainly not least, we’d like to recognize the vendors.

In the past two years we’ve had almost 50 local entrepreneurs who made this event happen. Your creativity, your enthusiasm, your customer service and your willingness to share your time and talents is most appreciated. You and the shoppers who buy local are the backbone of our market.

The 2009 Sitka Farmers Market season has come to an end. Plans for next year have already begun. We hope to see you there, and thanks again to everyone who is supporting the local foods movement.

Even though the Sitka Farmers Market season has ended, the Sitka Local Foods Network will be active throughout the year. We will continue our work on expanding community gardens, getting a community greenhouse built in Sitka, encouraging the sustainable use of traditional subsistence foods and providing educational opportunities to Sitka residents who want to learn more about producing local food. The next Sitka Local Foods Network event is the Running of the Boots fundraiser, which takes place at 11 a.m. (register at 10) on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Crescent Harbor shelter. For more information, click here.

Sincerely,

Sitka Local Foods Network
Kerry MacLane, Peggy Reeve, Linda Wilson, Doug Osborne, Natalie Sattler, Sharon Romine, Tom Crane, Maybelle Filler, Lisa Sadleir-Hart, Ellen Frankenstein, Charles Bingham (2009 SLFN board members and/or Sitka Farmers Market volunteers)