LAC LA BICHE - The three o’clock bell will ring a little later at the Lac La Biche Farmers’ Market in the 2025 season.
When the long-running, weekly showcase of home-grown business returns next season after a winter break following the December 13 Christmas market, the doors will open at 3:30 pm instead of 3pm. While the market will open later, it will also be open longer – closing at 6:30 pm instead of 5:30.
Market manager Bev Tkachuk says the changes are based on customer feedback.
For decades, the local farmers' market has been held on Friday afternoons from 3-5:30 p.m. But over the years, more and more people have been asking for a change in hours to accommodate customers with 9-5 jobs. Tkachuk says officials with the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society discussed the time change with vendors and it was agreed that 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. would be a more suitable timeframe.
“So, we’re going to try our best to accommodate them with a little bit longer of a market,” she told Lakeland This Week. “Maybe we can gain a few people ... on that extra hour when we’re open later.”
Christmas markets and Santa
As members of the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society and vendors look forward to 2025, they will be wrapping up the 2024 season with two Christmas markets on Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.
In celebration of the holiday season, as Tkachuk explains, the Dec. 6 market will feature a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, who will be at the Lakeland Agricom chatting with local kids, finding out what they would like under their trees this Christmas, and getting photos taken with them.
Those who come to the final market of the year the following week will be able to enjoy free cake and door prizes.
“We always end the year with a bang,” she said.
The 2024 season of the Lac La Biche Farmers Market, says Tkachuk, went very well, with more than 130 vendors registered over 40 weekly markets, and thousands of customers coming through the doors.
The market, she said, is known by tourists, drawing a lot of out-of-town visitors during the summer season.
Furthermore, during this year, the farmer’s market also partnered with some locally held events.
“We joined with other community events a few times like the World Archery competition and Summer Days which always brings in more customers and visitors,” Tkachuk said.
Approved farmers markets, she went on, are essential as they provide a one-stop safe location for home producers to offer their products to buyers. And while the long-running market is an important local sales venue, Tkachuk says it’s also a community, a place to meet and to connect with others, to visit with neighbours while listening to live music that is provided weekly by local musicians like Heather Dempsey and Paul Shaw.
“It's an event and a staple every Friday in Lac La Biche that everyone has warmly accepted,” she stated.
