Bright and early on Saturday morning, I made my way to downtown Alton. I was signed up to volunteer at the Alton Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, and I was pumped.
The farmers’ market, hosted by Alton Main Street, opened a couple of weeks ago. That first week was my brother’s graduation, and then the week after that was my big move, so I had yet to attend the market this year. What better way to immerse myself than as a volunteer?
For those who have never attended — what are you doing? You’re missing out!
The market runs through October in downtown Alton and features nearly 200 vendors selling everything including fresh leafy produce, homemade baked goods, sticky lemonade shake-ups, handmade jewelry, pottery, and breakfast burritos fried up on the spot. There’s a variety, is what I’m saying. Anything you could want on a Saturday morning.
Plus, it’s adorable. I can’t tell you how many dogs I saw. My volunteer partner — the Official Alton Farmers’ Market Dog Ambassador, actually — gave every dog that passed a homemade treat. There was a cat in a stroller. There were so many babies!
I got to the market around 7:30 a.m., and it was already popping with people setting up their booths. I jumped in, dropping down orange traffic cones and organizing Alton Main Street’s official table at the information booth with pamphlets and business cards promoting local businesses.
And then 8 o’clock rolled around, and the organized chaos began. Literally, hundreds of people descended on the market, located in the parking lot at the corner of Landmarks Boulevard and Henry Street.
I smiled at everyone who passed, and they smiled back at me. In today’s world, I don’t have to tell you how rare that is. But the rules of normal life are suspended at the farmers’ market. Everyone is happy to be there. It’s an early Saturday morning and people are excited to shop and engage with their hometown.
It’s just a good vibe, to be honest. It feels like what a downtown hometown should be. And people were eager to greet one another, to say hi, to catch up. There are so many people I knew only by name or via email who I met in person at the market on Saturday, and it was a wonderful thing to catch up with other friends and volunteers who I don’t get to see too often.
The volunteering itself was, it turned out, pretty straightforward. I answered questions about the market and handed people a map of the market’s layout. I chatted with folks about Alton Main Street’s other upcoming events.
The coolest part, though, was learning how to navigate the SNAP benefits program. The Alton market has this really cool offering where you can swipe your SNAP card and get double the benefits to spend on fruits and vegetables. I learned how to operate the handheld card-swiping machine and count out wooden coins for people to trade for produce. It was just so cool to know that we’re able to offer such a program.
Halfway through my shift, I took a stroll through the market to see what all there was. I’ve been to the market in years past, but the aforementioned variety still shocked me. There was a music group singing and people lying in the grass as they ate breakfast and so many tote bags.
It was exactly my vibe. I grinned and chatted and just felt a surge of affection for my town. What a cool way to spend a Saturday.
I’ll surely be back at the market, both as a shopper and a volunteer, before the season is over. I got a real kick out of helping out and spending time with the community. Alton Main Street is always looking for volunteers, so maybe you can join me next time, too! It’s an awesome place to be on a summer Saturday morning.
