Midtown Farmers Market welcomes new partners during construction

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By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

Front Porch #3PHOTO: YWCA fitness instructor Teresa Currie leads a morning session of R.I.P.P.E.D., with the sights and sounds of the market behind her. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

The Midtown Farmers Market had humble beginnings back in 2003. The small but mighty Corcoran Neighborhood Organization (CNO), whose mission is to “unite neighbors to strengthen our community,” started the Market. CNO chose the blighted, abandoned block at 22nd Ave. and E. Lake St. on which to open their market, and it has grown every year since it started.

Now, thirteen years later, that same block is poised to become a hub of commerce and vitality. Work has begun there on the multi-phase construction of a ‘transit village.’ Once completed there will be 100,000 square feet of community social service offices, 16,000 square feet of retail space, more than 500 affordable housing units and a one-acre public plaza for community use.

The market has always been a vibrant meeting place that connects urban residents with local growers, producers and artists. Eric Gustafson, executive director of CNO, said, “From the beginning, we saw the market as anchoring the transit village concept. We’re returning to the old idea of building our cities around food systems and public spaces again.”

As the market transitions from the first phase of construction, CNO has received grant money from an innovative source. The Center for Prevention at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota works to provide access to affordable, healthy food, tobacco-free air, and walkable/ bikeable neighborhoods. Funded with proceeds from Blue Cross’ historic tobacco settlement, the Center for Prevention tackles the root causes of preventable disease at the community level.

With a portion of the funding, CNO has invited the Midtown YWCA to bring two of their most popular fitness classes across the street to the market parking lot–at no cost to participants.  Saturday mornings from 8:30-9:30am, R.I.P.P.E.D. is being offered for adults. The total body, high-intensity workout is done to lively music and boasts a high-calorie burn. Tuesday evenings starting June 2, Zumba will be offered from 5:30-6:30pm. The Latin-inspired fitness party is a great cardio-dance workout. All ages, shapes and sizes are welcome. Be prepared to move your body as you salsa, merengue and cha-cha across the asphalt.

Wear exercise shoes and comfortable clothing to either class. Since it is summer, toss a towel in your gym bag too. There will be water jugs on-hand, but you’ll need to bring a cup or bottle to make this a zero-waste effort. Class cancellations will follow market closure policies, which can be found on-line.

Ellen Cleary, Community Impact Director for the YWCA, said, “We’re excited to be part of the Midtown Farmers Market, and to be able to reach more people beyond our walls.” The YWCA will be asking for feedback from participants throughout the summer. Cleary said, “We are constantly trying to weave empowerment, health, wellness and racial equality into everything we do. We want to make sure our classes at the market reflect that.”

An organization called the Musicant Group also received a piece of the grant funding. Founder Max Musicant is a professional ‘place maker,’ someone who makes a living asking others, “what do you really want to see and do?” Place making is the art of turning under-used spaces into lovely spaces. There are now several colorful, temporary installations of furniture on the slope that faces the LRT station. These are meant to encourage people to gather, to linger, to not just shop and go. It’s a known fact that human interaction improves your health! There are also games to play at the market. A ping-pong table will be a regular fixture this summer, as well as a modern version of an old arcade game called Skeeball.

Like the YWCA, the Musicant Group will be collecting written feedback from market attendees all summer, but  Musicant  said, “The truth is that people vote with their feet.” In other words, it’s obvious what works when creating a physical space because what works gets used. Their installations, called ‘parklets,’ can be moved from week to week, seeing which configuration people like best. This experimentation will help guide the eventual design and programming of the permanent public plaza.

All of this feedback gathering has a name: citizen-driven response. It’s a planning method that will lead to a very different outcome than if the community didn’t have a voice. “Lake and Hiawatha has always been a difficult, high-traffic intersection,” said lead CNO organizer Ross Joy.  There’s a lot going on and because of its visibility, it’s kind of like the front porch of the neighborhood. We believe the market is where healthy food, healthy activity, and healthy living can all come together.”

With the additional boost of funding from the Center for Prevention, the Midtown Farmers Market is helping to make access to better health a reality.

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