Ravinia Farmers Market Update – 2022 Season in Review
Now that the holiday season is upon us and the weather is definitely feels more like winter than Market season, it’s time to close this year’s Market. Before we look ahead to next year, and on behalf of our entire Market team, I’d like to thank you for your support and patronage of the 2022 Season of the Ravinia Farmers Market! Whether you shopped weekly or visited the Market on occasion, your patronage and Market spend helped to support local small farms, producers and businesses. Your purchases each week also help to foster a vibrant community, support sustainability and resilience and build the local food system in the Midwest. We hope you created great relationships with all of our vendors, and will continue to support them in the off-season through online stores and home delivery if applicable. I’d like to recognize and thank our civic sponsors: Ravinia Neighbors Association (4th-year sponsor), the City of Highland Park, the Park District of Highland Park(1st-year sponsor), Illinois Farmers Market Association, Presence Marketing, and our music sponsors, the Highland Park Community Foundation (2nd-year sponsor) and Life Rhythms (2nd-year sponsor). Immense gratitude to our Gold Sponsors: Carolyn Cerf-Coldwell Banker Realty (1st-year sponsor) and Keyth Security Systems (6th-year sponsor). Our great appreciation goes as well to our 20 new Friends of The Ravinia Farmers Market sponsors. Before I review this year’s Market season, I would like to reflect on the tragic events that happened on July 4 in Highland Park, and which served to bring us all closer together in community resilience and strength. From my perspective as Market Manager these past six years, I’d like to share some highlights of the 2022 Season, which happened every Wednesday from 7am-1pm at Jens Jensen Park in Highland Park from June 1 through October 26. In addition, we were honored and humbled to welcome 20 supporters as Friends of the Ravinia Farmers Market. They each received our deepest thanks, along with Market shopping tokens, a thermal Market shopping bag, Market tours and other perks. Next year will mark the 45th anniversary season of the Ravinia Farmers Market, and we’re already working on ideas to celebrate. We welcome your input and comments, as well as would be happy to include you as a volunteer for the Market and/or celebration committee. We look forward to the return of our 2022 vendors, as well as new farmers, producers, take-away vendors and small businesses. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with suggestions and contacts for the 2023 season. Be sure to mark your calendar for June 7, Opening Day of the 2023 Season. In the meantime, thank you again for your support. From all of us at the Ravinia Farmers Market, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season, a blessed New Year and a peaceful winter. Naturally yours, EdEd Kugler, Market Manager Ravinia Farmers Market 847.561.1302raviniafm@gmail.com
