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<br /> <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> <br />BETWEEN MARKET SEASONS <br />Staff has started the first full season of the Little Canada Indoor Market. The Indoor Market <br />season will be the first Monday of the month (the second Monday in January) and will be from <br />2-5 PM at the Little Canada Bingo Hall. <br /> <br />Staff also participates in monthly Farmers Market Manager Meetings with the Minnesota <br />Farmers Market Association and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership/Minnesota <br />Department of Health. These meetings discuss a variety of topics ranging from diversity, food <br />access, market programs, etc. There is also an annual Minnesota Farmers Market Association <br />Conference in December with many informative classes and discussion topics for Market <br />Managers and Volunteers. <br /> <br />The winter months are a great time to create promotional materials, reach out to potential <br />vendors, and continue to make improvements to our Market. <br /> <br />GOALS FOR NEXT SEASON <br />Staff is looking into adding a Senior Token program for ages 60+. Many other cities have a <br />senior token program (Ex. Elk River gives out $3 tokens the first Thursday of the month, and <br />Albertville gives a $2 token at each Market). A large majority of the visitors at the market are <br />60+, so this would be a good incentive or a good way to encourage more people to come to the <br />Market. This would be a great program for a potential business sponsor! <br /> <br />We would also like to continue to increase the number of vendors, and the number of attendees <br />we have per market. Staff will continue to look for different effective ways to reach diverse <br />groups to encourage more participation at the Market. Staff would also like to promote <br />SNAP/EBT, Market Bucks, and Produce Bucks more next year. Next season Staff would like to <br />add vendors who sell produce, plants, sweets, crafts, etc. <br /> <br />STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS <br />Due to all of the new additions to the Market this season, Staff will be looking into adding either <br />a volunteer or seasonal staff to be at the Market. These staff/volunteers would be at the booth and <br />assist in distributing SNAP/EBT and POP Tokens, take in vendor tokens at the end of the day, <br />take pictures during the Market, record attendance, and promote City events and activities. <br /> <br />Staff would appreciate any feedback or comments on the Farmers Market or new ideas from the <br />Parks & Recreation Commission. <br /> <br /> <br />