By Rod Daniel, Board Member, Hamilton Farmers Market Cooperative
Twenty-five years ago, in the summer of 1992, Ravalli County Museum Director Helen Bibler started a farmers market in front of the museum in Hamilton. Saturday was the slowest day of the week at the museum, and Helen figured having local farmers peddle their veggies under the shade of the Bedford Street maples might draw a crowd and bring a few more visitors to the historic landmark.
Museum volunteer Joe Bryan took on the role of market master, and a half dozen or so vendors, myself included, paid $5 a week to set up booths on Bedford Street in front of the Doughboy statue. Word got out, customers trickled in, and by the time Apple Day rolled around in October, most vendors agreed to come back next spring for a second season.
I can’t remember exactly who all the original vendors were, but I do remember a handful of us getting together at the start of the second season and making a pact to come every Saturday, rain or shine, so customers would not be disappointed. I think we had an inkling that if we persevered, this little farmers market might really turn into something good.
Early on, Helen and her partner, Jim Parker, kept the market rolling. Helen got the street permits and ran ads in the local newspapers, and Jim wrote about the market in the Historical Society newsletter. Joe Bryan made sandwich board signs promoting the market, and Smokey West and Jack Rice’s Western Swing duo became the unofficial house band.
In the third or fourth season, Bruce Jones became market master and vendors assumed more of a role in managing the market, electing a steering committee to work with the museum director and board. One of the first big decisions we made was making a rule that vendors had to live in Ravalli County and products sold had to come from Montana. We wanted our market to offer something unique and ensure that more of the money generated at the market would stay in the valley.
Another steering committee idea was to hire local musicians to play at the market, creating a welcoming and festive atmosphere that continues today. For years Billy Angus, aka Sgt. Pepper, was the opening act, followed by a different local band each week. From Polka to folk and country western to heavy metal, the diverse music at our market continues to be a big draw.
In 2005 Laura Craig was hired as market manager, and in 2006, vendors voted to separate from the museum and reorganize the market as a cooperative. Under Laura’s management, the Saturday Market has grown to be the premier weekly event of the season. It’s the best place in the valley to meet, greet and eat! And it’s a must-do for visiting friends and relatives.
But beyond its social value, the Market is an economic catalyst for the Bitterroot Valley. We conservatively estimate the Market pumps about $800,000 a year into the local economy.
On a given Saturday between May and October, between 80 and 100 vendors sell an incredible array of one-of-a-kind artisan treasures; delicious ready-to-eat foods; fresh, locally grown, non-GMO produce; delectable high-quality baked goods; and plenty of good coffee! Hundreds of customers –both local and global – converge on Hamilton for three and a half hours and, collectively, spend lots of money. And because all the vendors live in the county, that money probably gets turned over five or six more times during the week.
This Saturday, August 13, the Market will officially celebrate its 25th anniversary and will honor the market’s founder, Helen Bibler. For 25 years Helen has watched over the market from the balcony of her apartment directly across the street from the museum. Like a queen gazing upon her subjects, Helen must be proud of how far the market has come.
A dyed-in-the-wool Darbarian with a fondness for filterless cigarettes, Helen is in the final leg of her journey down the Bitter Root. She’s been getting regular visits from a hospice nurse lately, and soon will be watching over her market from an even higher perch!
Please join us this Saturday at the Hamilton Farmers Market as we celebrate our 25th year. And if you know Helen, be sure and stop by to say “Thanks” for starting the “friendliest farmers market in Montana.”