'Everyone is so happy to be here:' Colchester's first Autumnal Market attracts a crowd
Daisy and Carol Hutter
Sadie Ensana
Two dozen craft vendors, two food trucks and many more guests turned out for the first-ever Autumnal Market in Colchester last Saturday.
The town-hosted event, meant to highlight local businesses, took place on the green at Severance Corners near the McGillicuddy’s pub, and the day seemed perfect for it: Walking on the grass you could feel the crisp fall air and smell sweet maple treats from the food trucks.
Pumpkins dotted the green as vendors sold art and folks ate food and played lawn games.
Ahead of the event, town officials said they wanted to introduce the green to a wider audience and that the market was a way to get more people to use the space.
DaisyDoesArt Logo
Sadie Ensana
Attendee Roland Pedin liked the new direction.
“I was here before, but it was a green space with nothing going on,” he said while in line for the New Deal Foods truck.
Pedin is from Montpelier and found out about the market through a friend.
“The use of this space makes a great environment for meeting people in the community, supporting local vendors while getting a good bite to eat,” he said. “ I really appreciate the community involvement in Colchester and am considering moving here because of it.”
Vendors like Erin Bundock, an artist selling prints on Saturday, agreed that the market is great for meeting people in Colchester.
Welcome sign and gazebo in the Center of the Green
Sadie Ensana
“Since there is no cost for vendors to participate, it creates a no-pressure environment, and it is easier to chat and connect with the people attending,” she said.
The event was more like a way for the community to bond rather than to simply make sales, Bundock said.
Recent University of Vermont grad Daisy Hutter from Daisy Does Art and her mom Carol Parven Hutter were selling bottle-cap and mosaic jewelry and running a face-painting stand.
Sadie Ensana
They recently moved to Colchester after Daisy’s graduation, and the mother-daughter duo now make art and attend craft shows together.
“There has been a huge turn out, a bunch of people have been moseying through and everyone is so nice,” said the daughter.
She said the increased isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic probably added to people’s enthusiasm.
“Everyone is so happy to be here because they haven't been able to do this kind of thing in so long,” she said.
