While Lauren Carusona initially thought of the idea of a Hoodland Farmers' Market a couple years ago, she didn’t take action until this past June, when she got the ball rolling in short order to open the market on Sunday July 1. That work included finding vendors, insurance, zoning and more, but the payoff was impressive as people packed in at the Rendezvous Center for the inaugural market.

“I was just like overwhelmed with gratitude,” Carusona said, noting she
wanted to bring “real food” up to the mountain so people didn’t have to travel
far for it. “I was almost kind of like shocked, it was a little surreal for me. It
went from an idea and to a real thing. It was really special.”

Carusona, who has lived on the mountain for 10 years and is a nutritional
therapist, noted that vendors will change, but there are approximately eight
spots where people can buy local produce, soap, jewelry and more. She hopes
to expand offerings in the future and potentially bring in some live music, but
doesn’t plan on bringing hot food vendors so that patrons can support the
restaurants in the center.

Carusona added that she wants to bring awareness to the community on the
importance of eating healthy and connecting with food instead of getting it
from a package. She sees the market as a way to bring people back to the
ways we ate before food was processed and created by big companies.
Next year, Carusona wants to make preparations a little less hectic and get
started planning the market in February, with a May opening.

“It’s just kind of a learning experience,” she said. “It’s great it’s been so
successful, it’s really humbling.”

The Hoodland Farmers' Market is open from 1-4 p.m. every Sunday through
the end of September, at the Rendezvous Center, Hwy. 26 and E. Greenwood
Drive in Welches. For more information, find “Hoodland Farmers' Market” on
Facebook.