Bloomington Farmers' Market

After Dr. McDonald gave us the information we needed to navigate the Bloomington Farmers’ Market, we formed groups and started investigating.  I suggested that we start exploring from the de facto entrance of the farmers’ market where we walked in.  In what will be referred to in my map as the “Horseshoe.” The Horseshoe held mostly produce stalls from different farms and families.  I assumed before coming to Indiana that farmers sold their crops to various groceries stores or to large fruit and vegetable corporations like Birds Eye.  I was amazed at the different types of produce that you could buy: apples, peaches, corn, broccoli, tomato, etc.  It was all there and seemed to have been picked earlier that morning.  There was one stall in particular that stuck out in the Horseshoe to me.  A stall that strictly sold bee related items such as: honey, honeysuckle (which was delicious), honeycomb and beeswax, just to name a few.  Past the bee table was our first introduction to music at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market.  It was a stall for a local radio station that was playing country music as well as interviewing people who were at the market.  It was really exciting to see a local music faction taking an interest into what was going on in the community.  As we continued around the Horseshoe, and down to the end, I noticed what looked like a polychromatic stall.  The vibrant colors stood out from the rest of the mundane green that were the other produce stalls.  It was in fact a flower booth with some of the most eclectic choices I had ever seen.  Giant sunflowers seemed to reach for the sky to get every ounce of sunray that they could while the nonchalant roses stood there, waiting for people to notice them.  Behind the flower stall was a mix of various food stands  You could order everything from savory pulled pork sandwiches to chilling strawberry smoothies.  It was a great place to take a break from our investigating and recover from the humidity and heat.  We did this while enjoying some smooth jazz by a group of local musicians.  After this, we continued to the other side of the food stalls and emerged next to the first booths that were not selling anything.  There was a table for Republican Women, the Bahá’í faith, which seemed extremely interesting, and booths for political candidates for mayor.  As we continued up that road we came to another live music setup.  This time it was just a guitarist and bassist jamming.  They were actually playing one of my favorite songs, “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show.  

It was one of the first country/bluegrass songs that I heard before I really got into that genre of music.  I found out later that they were two students attending the Jacob’s School of Music here at Indiana University.  Coming full circle we found ourselves at in the Horseshoe again and decided to check out a tent that turned out to be giving free samples of their different tomatoes.  I had no idea that there were so many types of tomato with tastes ranging from bland to spicy.  We finished up at the steps of City Hall where we departed from, except this time we spent some quality time with the puppies up for adoption.  I met a beagle mix named Bentley that I was particularly fond of but I thought I remembered my R.A., Chris, saying we could not have pets in the dorm.

From my experiences at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market, I drew the following conclusions.  First, people really enjoy receiving being able to sample products and get items for free.  I noticed over and over again that the stalls that gave out free samples were not only the most congested but also seemed to be doing the most business.  One can conclude from this that people like to try things before they fully commit to a purchase, especially in these tough economic times.  Second, I also noticed that a lot of families and children circled the artists that were playing music. Music usually brings people together and at the farmers’ market it was no different.  More people seemed to be engaging others in social activities around the music whether it be telling jokes, introducing themselves or just singing along.  These social interactions prompt a connection between the people in the community.  Third, I realized how much these local farmers depend on the community.  If no one buys their products then they cannot continue to grow more crops.  What seemed like something interesting to do on a Saturday morning is actually how some people make a living.

There are a plethora of similarities between participatory music and the participatory aspects of the Bloomington Farmers’ Market.  First, just like in participatory music, the farmers’ market is entirely contingent on individuals.  These individuals wake up early on a Saturday morning and bring their goods and services to City Hall in hopes that an entirely different group of individuals will come and buy their items.  Therefore, one cannot exist without the other.  Second, it would be strange for someone to go to the farmers’ market and stand around suspiciously in a corner and watch everything that is happening.  People might start to become frightened of this and contact authorities.  This is exactly like not joining in during a participatory song.  People would think that you are weird and might be insulted.  Finally, in participatory music, you are assumed to be giving the performance any skills or talents that you have.  For example, if you cannot play an instrument, dance.  If you cannot dance, sing.  The same holds true for the farmers’ market.  You do not just have to sell produce to set up a booth.  Try something new like a flower or trinket booth and watch the people flock to your stall. 

 Going to the farmers’ market was definitely an eye opening experience for me because I am so used to the commotion of city life.  With that being said, I also felt completely involved and wanted because the music brought me together with whom I was sharing these experiences.