Patrick Moffatt, co-market manager for The Market at Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

'heartbeat of red deer'

51st year of The Market at Red Deer officially over

Oct 9, 2021 | 1:00 PM

The first season of a new era for The Market at Red Deer is over.

In its 51st year, what’s affectionately known as the Red Deer Farmers’ Market, was run by co-market managers Fiona and Patrick Moffatt, children of Dennis Moffatt who ran the entire operation for half a century through 2020.

The 2021 season ended on Saturday with moderate crowds, a bit of a chill, and spirits high as patrons stopped for fresh produce, mini donuts, handcrafted art and to speak to the bevy of municipal election candidates on-hand.

“The best thing about the market this year was the weather. It was so good for us. On the other hand, we still weren’t seeing vendor or customer numbers up where we’re used to. It was better than last year though, and got better as we went along,” says Patrick.

“I think maybe we were fooled into thinking COVID was going away and things were getting better when actually they were getting worse. That said, I’m proud of the citizens and vendors who came to the market because everyone has been very aware and careful. It’s been my pleasure to operate a market where people do have that respectful attitude.”

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The market averaged about 100 vendors every Saturday morning for the five months from mid-May to mid-October.

Moffatt also shares that his father — a former long-time Red Deer city councillor — couldn’t be kept away, showing up each week at 8:30.

“We’ve told him ‘You sleep in, you’ve done your 50 years and you did a fantastic job.’ He brought something unique to Red Deer that I don’t know if anyone else can say they’ve done,” says Moffatt.

“The market is a pretty special thing bringing that many people together, and in my opinion, it really gives people the sense of a heartbeat for Red Deer.

Moffatt adds it’s too early to say how much revenue the 2021 season brought in for vendors.

More information is at RedDeerMarket.com.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

51st year of The Market at Red Deer officially over

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