Lincoln City puts on its Sunday best
By Hazel Fiedler
Oregon Coast TODAY
Along the winding Poetry Path at the newly renovated Cultural Plaza, the Lincoln City Sunday Market offers a wide variety of local goods every Sunday. The market is full of chatter and life as customers talk to vendors about their goods and enjoy lunch at outdoor seating. Gary, the giant octopus sculpture right in the center of the market, serves as a perfect photo op and is especially popular among visiting kids.
Melody Wilkins is one of six vendor advisory committee members for the market, which has been held at the Delake School site since 2004, even before the building became the Lincoln City Cultural Center. The market moved to a different location during construction of the Cultural Plaza and, this spring, with the hard work of market organizers, it has returned.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have done,” Wilkins said. “Just this week we added four new vendors bringing our total to 38, and we just filed the first paperwork to become our own nonprofit to run the Sunday market for many years. Planning the market has been an amazing experience, it has truly been a group effort.”
Valuable assistance also came from a Lincoln County Economic Development grant that paid for flags, signage, recycling stations, advertising and more.
Although the committee members all had years of experience participating in markets, only two of them had experience running one.
“It is amazing the talents that came with the group and what we have been able to accomplish in a short time,” Wilkins said, adding that she appreciates the welcoming feel of the market. “Oregon friendliness is the norm here,” she said. “Vendors are eager to tell you about their farm, their process, their inspiration and share their stories.”
The market is not only a place to purchase local goods, it also gives customers a chance to learn about and support important organizations.
“It's a goal of the Sunday market to give back to our community,” Wilkins said. “We have space available each week for local nonprofit groups to do outreach.”
Along with helping run the market, Wilkins has her own booth, Siletz Bay Soap Company, where she sells handmade soaps and lip butters.
“Soap-making is a really interesting process,” she said. “It takes an hour to make but then it has to sit for a month before it is ready to use.”
Wilkins uses plants and clay to create the soap colors and essential oils for scent.
“My newest scent is ocean-inspired,” she said. “It was really interesting trying to find a blend that worked but people have said I nailed it.”
When it comes to her lip butters, she is proud of the natural ingredients.
“There is too much commercial chapstick made with stuff like petroleum,” she said. “The best thing about my lip butter is all the stuff that’s NOT in it.”
Pam Young has been working with clay since she was 10 years old.
“I believe that I didn’t pick my style,” she said. “It chose me.”
Her whimsical mugs, bowls, fish, salt shakers and wire footed birds are completely hand built with porcelain.
“To be creative is second only to breathing for me,” she said. “It's something I have to do.” Young has been at the market for 12 years and she appreciates the ways in which the plaza renovation has changed the atmosphere.
“We have a lot more space now,” she said. “The plaza was definitely designed with the farmers market in mind.”
Sam Mansholt at Sticky Situations offers homemade caramel with one-of-a-kind of flavors.
“The market is my favorite part of the week,” she said. “Caramel-making is a labor of love and after a long week of creating and packaging it's fun to be here sharing my caramels.”
Mansholt makes 40 flavors that rotate in groups of seven each week. She offers surprising and unique choices including lavender, jalapeño, rosemary, butter rum and pistachio.
“Flavor ideas just kind of come to me,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Hey that might be good in caramel.’” She grows her own rosemary at home and sources flavors from local health food stores like Trillium Natural Foods. She enjoys watching people fall in love with caramel.
“I get so many people who say ‘Oh, I don’t like caramel’ and then they try a sample and love it,” said Mansholt, who offers mixed bags to allow people to try a variety of flavors and pick and choose what they like. “It's really fun to talk to customers, get feedback and hand out samples.” A mini version of the Bernards Farm store in McMinnville is available to Lincoln City market goers. The booth not only offers fresh vegetables but also jams, granola, nuts and syrups and a variety of fresh berries that come from Parsons Farms in Dayton.
“All the vegetables we sell are grown on our farm,” said Rowan Myers. “Our pantry products are made in our kitchen using locally sourced ingredients.”
The farm has been family owned and operated since 1975.
“We love being a part of this market,” Myers said. “It is super welcoming and there is a variety of locally made products that are much better quality than mass-produced items.”
The Lincoln City Sunday Market runs from 10 am to 3 pm every Sunday through Oct. 13 at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Hwy. 101. For more information, go to lincolncitysundaymarket.org.