It was raining, it was pouring but that old man was up and at 'em at the May 13th White Barn Market. The isles were filling up and bustling by 10:30am. Families were having fund dancing to music and exploring the various vendors. It may have been chilly, but the spirits were high!
Ashley started the White Barn Market 4 years ago. It is located only a few minutes away from Thorsby, with a prominent white barn plunked down in the middle of a farmers field. Though you may already be thinking that it seems far to go for a market, Ashley confirms that it “Brings character to the event and people live it. You will see families having picnics in the wheat field and strangers becoming acquaintances”. She is absolutely right! There were people from all over Alberta -Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Drayton Valley and Camrose, just to name a few. One couple from Jasper said “We came here last year and it was a lot of fun! We made a day of it. Road trip, shopping (and) exploring, It was great then and it is even better now. We will be back again too”.
The Edmonton Muse set up stage and local musicians played one hour sets throughout the day. We had Shauna Specht up first. This singer-songwriter was accompanied with Kevin Huenison on fiddle. Following her was country star Steve Newsome on guitar with his fellow player, Stephane Drisdelle, playing his new hit single, Lost On 22. At noon we had Will Coles steal the spotlight for a bit with his amazing and unique guitar-bass prototype. 1pm was 13 year old beauty, Martina Dawn who is associated with Red 19 Entertainment take the stage. Steve Newsome came in for his second set following her and then we ended with a 5 piece rock band, Thistle, perfectly closing the market on a high note.
These musicians were great! You couldn't even tell they were cold sitting up there, even though I am sure their fingers could barely feel the fret boards. The crowds were loving them. And hey, the dancing probably kept them warm!
There were 62 vendors at this show and the best part about that is that they are all local (and surrounding areas) artisans, farmers and small business owners. With the wide variety, which you can view in the gallery, it was creative, energetic and unique. Not to mention the delicious food that was also on site from Hot Mess Food Truck and the Old Fashioned Mobile Bar. A country-esque feel with a modern twist and a whole lot of fun... for the whole family. The next market is June 17th from 10am to 4pm and I highly recommend attending. Make an adventure of it, bring the kids, it will be worth it!
Saturday
May 13th