In my last post, The Best of Summer [at local farmer’s markets] I mentioned our own Hometown Market, which operated from the long weekend in May through to mid-October. Throughout the summer, anytime you made a purchase from a vendor, you filled out a ballot to win a gift basket with goodies to be donated by the merchants. I filled in my share of ballots and was absolutely delighted when my name was drawn as the winner on October 24. You can see the draw being made on the Greater Napanee Hometown Market’s Facebook page. In that photo, and another one on the page, you can see that this was much more than a “gift basket.” In fact, what is shown in those photos is only a small sample of what I actually won!
I needed help getting everything to my car, and into the house! This was not just a basket. It was also a bag full and a box full of goodies—all hand-made and locally produced. After we’d marvelled at how much there was, and before we’d started enjoying some of these treats, my husband Jim assembled everything artistically for a photo that really shows the generosity and diversity of the merchants who donated so many wonderful items.

Photo by Jim Peets. All rights reserved.
My family and I will be enjoying the bounty from the summer and all of these wonderful products for a long time. I cannot thank these merchants enough. What I can and will do is continue to support them, and I encourage everyone to support their local merchants–at the markets and in the stores.
They are the heart of all of our hometowns.
In Napanee, we don’t have to wait until next summer to support the market. The merchants are holding an Indoor Market on Saturday, November 19 at the Strathcona Paper Centre recreation centre. This will be a great time to start–or finish–your holiday shopping, and pick up some goodies for those holiday parties.