Suits invade Springfield Farmers Market
Earlier today a ribbon cutting and jazz band launched Springfield's downtown Farmers Market for the season. Mayor Mike Houston and Lt. Governor Sheila Simon spoke briefly to the crowd.
The chair of Downtown Springfield Inc talked about the market bringing people to downtown. Simon mentioned supporting local food systems and farmers. The crowd also included a number of other elected officials, including State Senator Dave Koehler and Representative LaShawn Ford, who have been legislative advocates for Farmers Markets.
The market expanded this year to include an additional block and it was still crowded from end to end. The number of business suits and Chamber pins suggests that the tree-hugger crowd will have to get used to the market's growing popularity. Hopefully it will continue to expand without losing sight of why local, sustainable food systems are important to our environment and economy.