Harvestfest fun is today

SANDPOINT — Temperatures today could drop into the 20s, but that isn’t stopping the Sandpoint Farmers Market from hosting its annual fall Harvest Festival.

The market is closing out another successful season today with a host of special events, including face painting, raffles, musical acts and a smorgasbord of fresh food, according to market manager RaeAnn Mavity.

Despite intermittent construction at the Farmin Park Bandstand — a key component to the market — and the introduction of a new competitor in Six Rivers Market, Mavity said the 2009 season was a resounding success.

“The season was really great,” she said. “With the economy, people are focusing a lot on trying to maintain our local economy by shopping at the farmers market and Six Rivers and other places. Overall, we had a great season and our customers are always wonderful.”

Instead of keeping people home, Mavity said the slow economy actually made more prospective vendors want to join the market to make a little extra money.

“We had people coming out of the woodwork to join the market this year,” she said. “People came from a few hundred miles away because they heard what a good market we have.

It was a good year, but Mavity said she and the market’s board of directors are already thinking of ways to make improvements for next year. Among other changes, the market might add “market dollars,” which could be redeemed at any market vendor. Mavity also said the board will discuss the possibility of expanding the market, which would require City Council permission.

Fall Fest begins at 9 a.m. at Farmin Park and runs until 1 p.m.