love of local in Utah
Dear Salt Lake City Farmers Market
To whom it may concern:
The Farmers Market is one of our “favorites and bests.” We look forward to it until it comes and miss it so when it leaves. We come almost every weekend, stay for hours and spend way too much money. How can we help ourselves?
We usually end up getting breakfast AND lunch. The highlight of our day is sitting on the warm grass drinking fresh carrot juice and a delectable pastry. I am telling you, this the life.
We don’t mind how extremely crowded it is, weird incense smells and dealing with parking (which in all honestly isn’t that bad). It is too busy to bring a double stroller, which isn’t bothersome because, well, we are in love with the place. I have mastered carrying 3-4 full bags and keeping tabs on a 2- and 3-year-old. Really, you should be proud.
We bask in this world of balsamic vinegar, artichoke pesto, fresh farm eggs, plump round juicy cherries and the bread….oh, the bread! I have even come to love the smell of coffee beans, which is saying a lot because for two pregnancies in a row the smell made me sick.
Every single time we attend we find a hidden treasure we had not seen, tasted, smelled or eaten before. ALL of your vendors are utterly amazing, friendly and carry a product they’ve put a lot of love into. Man, the place is heaven (almost); it recharges us for the week and supplies our home with food for the whole week.
But alas, this past Saturday I was just a WEE bit peeved when I left the Salt Lake Farmers Market . The dogs. The dogs everywhere. The dogs being let go from their leashes. The diarrhea from dogs scattered all over the ground that left a faint smelt of dog diarrhea and freshly baked bread throughout the whole place. The dog fight that erupted with a group of smaller dogs at my two babies’ feet that was not stopped but praised with “Oh, how cute is this?” (It would not been “so cute” even with middle-size dogs—but that’s another rant for another day.) The dog owners that use a Farmers Market, which is a place of wonder as much as it is a place of CHAOS–to “break in,” “socialize,” “train” their dogs–and with most of them doing quite an irresponsible, horrible job of it. I tell you, if just ONE more dog owner had come up to my girls without asking and shoved his dog in my kids’ faces to “socialize” them, I would’ve lost it!
Do I believe in socializing your dogs? Yes–hello, I am married to Utah’s awesomest dog trainer! Do I just adore dogs? Yes and so do my girls. But allowing the Farmers Market to become BOMBARDED (I swear there were double the amount of dogs than kids there) by these cute canines just ain’t working for me.
Let them go to dog parks, let them set up a part of the park during the Farmers Market for a dog “meet and greet” to socialize their dogs. It is an important thing to do, but not here.
But do not continue to allow dogs into the Farmers Market. I promise you it is disaster waiting to happen for the city of Salt Lake and it will most definitely happen. It might not be this year or the next but someone will get hurt by dogs. Unfortunately with how many responsible dog owners there are at the Farmers Market there is an even larger group of completely irresponsible dog owners, who do NOT have the know-how to bring their dogs to such a chaotic environment. Plus people are SELLING FOOD! Do we have to have dog do-do and pee everywhere?
Salt Lake City, no more dogs at the Farmers Market. I don’t feel safe bringing my kids and it really takes away from the purpose, charm and cleanliness of the Farmers Market.
Tags: local news
I could NOT AGREE MORE.
It’s a terrible idea.
Oh yuck. People don’t pick up after their dogs? That would drive me insane.
I have to agree. My wife and I are dog lovers, but we choose not to bring our pets to the market. It would be overstimulating, and we would end up spending the whole time tugging on their leashes and apologizing the people they bump into.
Perhaps the Farmers Market can announce some guidelines as well as take action against the most obvious offenders. I think if people know and see that their dogs must be leashed, must be under control, must be cleaned up after, and must keep their noses away from others\’ food, we will end up with a better situation for everybody.
Evan, that would very ideal although I wonder how much announcing the rules would help….and there is no way SLC can keep tabs on all the rules, dogs and owners.
They just need everyone to attend a dog courtesy class before they are let in
Great post, Vanessa!
I love the candid photographs! Those pastries look so tasty and your descriptions of the fresh produce and bread made my mouth water.
You know – you should send a link to this post directly to the SLC Farmers Market owners/organizers. I bet they would appreciate the feedback.
Love the fresh produce and local products. I’ve been going to the Farmers Market since it first started. I feel like your rant at the end was a bit harsh because I haven’t come across a dog owner that didn’t pick up after their dog, haven’t come across an unleashed dog, nor is there diarrhea everywhere. To offer up some solutions, so that dogs aren’t banned from the Market, could be:
1. dogs bag dispensers at the entrances, if they are not there already.
2. those of us who are dog lovers and attend the Market can carry extra bags and help pick up poop if you happen to see it around
3. a volunteer at the entrance to ask pet owners to leash their pets.
Successful Farmer’s Markets are chaotic but are also those where everyone feels welcome.
Great photos and sentiment about the market. Totally over-the-top problem with dogs. She doesn’t bring her stroller but most people do. And that is a much bigger problem with the crowded market. And rude mom’s with HUGE strollers hogging the pathways don’t have anything to say about leashed dogs.