The Harvest Festival recently ended the third season of the Village Market at the Sawyerville Community Garden. Besides the usual kiosks of market gardeners, the event was enriched by a musical performance, a dinner and the presence of community organizations.

A pleasant program
Children had a special place during the festival. At 10:30 a.m., storyteller Sylvenne told a tale for the youngest ones. The Relève du Haut-Saint-François had set up their Zone Bout’Choux, and children had the opportunity to have their faces painted.
For the grownups, the herbal therapist Chantal Parent presented a workshop at 11:30 a.m. The Cuisines collectives du Haut-Saint-François (community kitchen) also offered a discovery workshop on gaspacho (cold vegetable soup) with produce from the market. The support worker for the English-speaking community, Gabrielle Joncas, was also present. «I speak with everyone because my mandate is for ages 0 to 100. If you have someone who asks a question about the garden or a producer, I am able to tell them in English what’s going on.»

Satisfactory results
A special dinner was concocted and served by the Garden’s team of volunteers. On the menu were chili, baked beans, and a variety of salads. The group Sweet Poutin livened up the day with traditional music.
The person responsible for the Community Garden, Chantal Bolduc, was satisfied with the 2018 season. «More and more, people are coming.» Besides the public’s interest, the balmy weather of this summer helped a lot. «We had good weather in abundance,» she said in French.

Les Maraichers de l’or vert were also satisfied with their season, especially with the construction of the shelter at the Garden. «We are really happy, this year, with how it went. With the shelter, that really gave something permanent. It’s really a beautiful space.» Like Bolduc, they noted the growing crowds. «This year it was better than last year. We had more people from the village who came.» A number of tourists from Montreal and Magog also visited their kiosk.

The project of building a bicycle path along the road and a footpath alongside the river, when completed, will help energise the area. «We are at the right place at the right time,» Bolduc said with enthusiasm. «The image this gives for Sawyerville is that we want to be in good shape, we want to eat well. And that also makes it inviting for young families and others to come here.» This convergence of initiatives can help make things happen, according to Bolduc. «That’s what can make all the difference in a small village like this.»