This was my first experience trying to get to know Salt Lake. I grew up in Nevada, so I expected culture shock when I came to Utah. From my experiences, that is simply not true. The Farmer’s Market is held in Pioneer Park, which I only heard rumors about from people I met at the U. I had gone to the park one other time before for the Twilight Concert Series, and I didn’t notice the Homeless population much at all. When I went to the Farmer’s Market, I noticed the homeless for the first time. Every other aspect of the park was picturesque. The trees were full of leaves and the people were excited to share their vast wealth of knowledge with us. I was interested to learn about the emphasis on local goods that Salt Lake seems to convey. (Where I’m from, there are no farms, hence no local food.)
People used this space entirely for human interaction. Everyone was there to buy or sell their goods. I thought it was interesting that the Farmer’s Market was half food vendors and half local art vendors. There were booths on each side of the pathway as well as some in the middle of the park. There were lots of people on the outside pathways, but considerably less inside the park where the Italian booth was located.
The Farmer’s market is a node where people go to interact with other local product supporters. This area doesn’t define the city, but the ideas it portrays definitely impact the view of Salt Lake as a whole. The emphasis on supporting local economy seems to be characteristic of this city because there are many areas in which local businesses thrive. The area of the Farmer’s Market is thought to be sketchy because there is a large homeless population, but the events that take place in Pioneer Park send a different message entirely.
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