They say Abbotsford is the City in the Country. Today at Bakerview EcoDairy and Nutrifoods Market on Sumas Way, Kathleen and I experienced a whole lot of country as we worked our way through the huge crowds to see what happens when you mix this new facility with the city's weekly Farm and Country Market.
It was very busy, but highly organized. With an annual Christian school auction underway and Lepp Farm Market holding a special Fall Tasting event, it was surprising how many people left the comforts of their home to enjoy so many Abbotsford events in the warmth of the October sunshine.
Young fiddlers' sweet, toe-tapping tunes helped fill the air with excitement as we met so many friends, including marketing guru Tanya Curtis from the NutrivaGroup which oversees the EcoDairy and Abbotsford School Trustee Shirley Wilson (below). My wife, Kathleen, is squeezed in the middle.
Vintage vehicle displays, rides in a buggy pulled by Friesian horses, pony rides, cotton candy sales, and the full offering of the farmers market kept patrons amused on the 89-acre site featuring the first demonstration farm of its kind in Canada.
The Nutrifoods grocery store on the site sells the farm's unique Vitala milk and eggs products.
Clothing, jewelry, metal cutouts, honey, vegetables, and all those wonderful goods that farmers markets are known to carry were there.
Tall people, short people and costumed characters filled the parking lot.
I was particularly pleased to meet Jodie Jacobsen (below), sales and marketing coordinator for Tourism Abbotsford.
If you haven't been to the Bakerview EcoDairy or Nutrifoods Market yet, you can explore it by clicking on http://www.ecodairy.ca/. Some great videos are online to show you how the herd of 50 cows decides when it's time to be milked.
No matter how you look at it, today's Vintage Fair on the EcoDairy site is a stunning example of Abbotsford agri-tourism.
Cheers.
Bummed I missed this event so close to home. I had no idea it was going on until I passed it on my way with the kids. Had I known it was going on we would have went there instead of making other plans. Looked like a lot of fun.
Posted by: Bonnie | 2010.10.17 at 10:56 AM
Friesians are the most beautiful draft horses.
Posted by: raincoaster | 2010.10.17 at 02:05 AM