This was a lady who sold cheese. Her booth must have popular because I always saw a crowd of people at her booth.
Today, I had an awesome time at the Bloomington Farmers' Market. For my first time going to a farmers' market. I was really impressed. I was not expecting the market to be so crowded and have so many booths. People of all ages attended with their families or just themselves. I even saw dogs there. Now, that really took me by surprise. All the kids looked happy as they were listening or dancing to the music, playing with their balloons, observing their parents picking out food, or stuffing their own mouths with food. Occasionally, I saw kids crying because their parents would not buy something that they wanted. I chuckled as I witnessed those moments. The parents were trying to control their energetic children as they shopped. Adults carefully picked out the food whether they smelled it, looked for bruises, or were just amazed and grabbed a bunch of the product.
When I entered the market, I was first attracted to the joyful sounds of West African drums playing and lively dancing in the circle. The group that performed was called "Jiridon." There was a female dancer in a costume who danced her heart out with all different kinds of moves. She was very energetic and I could tell she was enjoying herself. I was fascinated by the manner in which the drummer used his hands to beat the drum. He was totally into the music as he played with undeniable passion. He also created a rhythm that was dramatic and fast. I noticed there was a sense of communitas between him and the music and people. He said, " I love seeing people get up and dance and sing-along." Even though he was playing on three different types of drums, he favored the Topalon drum. He told me that the Gouro people of West Africa play the Topalon. When he took a break from playing, I noticed his hands looked hard and had many blisters. He let the kids play on his drums and even taught them a few beats. He learned to play from his teacher, Dr. Djo-Bi. Because the drummer was so skilled, I assumed he had been to West Africa and learned there as well. In fact, he said he has not had the opportunity to go, but if he had the chance, he would take it in a heartbeat. This music belongs to the presentational field. The musicians were providing music for the audience and everyone else was shopping as they sustained the people's interest through sound. They previously rehearsed the music numerous times with Dr. Djo-Bi before they presented it. The interaction of the audience included numerous kids and adults dancing and singing with great enthusiasm.
Of course that was not the only presentational music I saw at the market. I was intrigued by the different types of music being played at the market. It would have been boring if the music lacked variety and was all the same style. Each artist or group passionately played their music and had a bucket for people to give tips to the musicians . It made me happy to see people give tips because the musicians deserved it. I was taken by surprise when I saw a confident boy, who appeared to be in middle school, playing his guitar and singing. I never expected someone that young to play in front of so many people in such a busy atmosphere. I also heard hippy/country music performed by a group of guys using the guitar, base, violin, and banjo. I was really interested in the man who sang songs about heartbreaks as he used his guitar. I wonder if his music was an index for the past heartbreaks he might have experienced or perhaps he was just making it up. More importantly, his lyrics to his songs symbolized sadness and pain. Across from this artist were two guys playing Indy-folk type of music. They have been playing at the Bloomington Farmers' Market for seven years. Around the corner from these two individuals was another pair of guys using guitars to play country music. One of them had a harmonic instrument connected to his guitar so he could play both at the same time.
Before interviewing musicians, I thought any musician could show up to the market, find a spot, and play his music. I learned that there is a process that musicians must go through if they want to play at the market. There is also a limit for how many can perform. The market assigns spots and allows three soloists and two groups to play.
The market contained all different types of food from many different locations in Indiana. Many of the booths had the name of their farm or organization on a hanging banner. The prices of the products were so reasonable. That is one of the many reasons people shop at the market instead of making similar purchases at Kroger or Marsh. In addition, the market provides fresh produce and organic food. People like to know that the food they're buying is clean and healthy. A lady explained to me, " I like to know that the sellers are actually doing what they say they're doing to their food. At other stores, they could be lying to me.The market ensures me that the food is safe." The produce reflects the culture of Bloomington. The produce here shows a balance of the food being good, local, and exotic. The lady I interviewed has been coming to the Bloomington Farmers' Market for four years. Another lady I talked to mentioned the reason why she comes is because she has the opportunity to discuss with the seller how the food she buys is made or raised. As I walked around the busy maze, I saw a lot of fresh produce booths. The flowers being sold were gorgeous and well sized. It was interesting to see a honey booth with a variety of ways honey could be consumed. There were jars of honey, honey sticks, honey mustard and even soap with honey. I did not see a lot of meat at the market besides a sausage and lamb booth. The cheese looked so delicious and fresh. I saw bags of popcorn being sold and they smelled so sweet. I laughed when I saw a coffee booth. They sold different types of coffee beans and even made hot coffee for the people.
I noticed that EVERYONE at the market was friendly. The musicians eagery shared their history of how they developed a sense of communitas with their style of music and even invited visitors to attend one of their gigs elsewhere. The people who sold products at their booths wanted to satisfy their customers so they would come back and keep purchasing. Those walking around with their families and friends suggested and encouraged others to visit specific booths and make certain purchases. Some of the kids even said "excuse me" when they were trying to get by me. The Bloomington Farmers' Market is a wonderful, safe atmosphere with happy, respectful people. In spite of the crowd, I found it interesting and pleasing that I never saw the police walking up and down the aisles.
The booths that did not sell food, flowers, or any other products were booths that wanted to benefit the community. For example, there was a Democratic party booth. The people at this political booth explained that they believe in a diverse culture, express the social values of the community to others, and give people the opportunity to participate in the democratic actions. There, a man said, "we are here to find the concerns of our democrats. We then take those concerns, get the email address of the individual, email the concern to the mayor, and then the mayor will email the citizen to discuss the concern." I thought that was an amazing gesture to benefit others as well as the community. There were additional booths that didn't even sell anything, but instead wanted to spread the awareness of their project to the community.
There was an isolated section in the back of the market for customers who wanted to shop for arts and crafts. Every booth had artists that personally made the products themselves. Just hearing and speaking to those artists made me admire the time and work they dedicated to designing their goods. Booths sold jewelry, pottery, essential oils, woven baskets, mirrors, paintings, trinkets for kids and more. It was as if that section was its own little community. There was also a fountain in the area that enabled kids to touch and play with the structure. The lady from the pottery booth described to me the process of how to sell your arts and crafts at Bloomington's market. Each person must apply. She said, "this year there were about 300 people that applied, I think. When you apply, you have to send in pictures of your work. Only about 50 people were accepted this year through the hat drawing." The work in that area of the market was reasonably priced and very unique.
The Market in general was a participatory environment. Everyone participated in making it a social function. The event was not judged on the quality of the music, but instead the amount of participation. Everyone who goes to the market is expected to enjoy themselves whether they listen to music, dance, or shop. The Bloomington Farmers' Market is most democratic, least competitive, and least hierarchial. Many of the people at the market felt a sense of communitas and socially bonded. I know that I developed a sense of communitas and socially bonded. I had a phenomenal time at the market and will always treasure this experience.
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