It’s Christmastime at the market. Saturday, from 9 to noon, the pavilion will be filled with fresh local foods and the Christkindlmarket with gifts for giving. Carolers will stroll through the pavilion filling it with Christmas cheer (Amanda Jones from Seneca. Sydney Shannon from Galena, Forrest Bunter from Neosho, Chris Tanksley from Baxter Springs, all students from MSSU).
We’ll have a wide variety of vegetables, as well as pecans, pork, beef, lamb, chicken, raw milk, honey, energy bars, baked goods, freshly roasted coffee beans, jams and jellies, and eggs. The Butcher Block will have ribs, tamales, brisket, hot coffee, and breakfast burritos and will take orders for cheese balls for pick up at the Christmas Eve Holiday Market (which will be at the pavilion from 11 to 1 on Tuesday, December 24).
In the Christkindlmarket, there will be plenty of Christmas specialties at Black Forest Pastry (they’re taking Christmas Eve orders as well). Jim Oxley returns with his remarkable dresses for girls, newborn through 12 years. Full of ruffles and lace or simple and sweet, these dresses are a bargain and often include matching socks and hair bows. (That's my (Eileen's) little Australian granddaughters modeling them in the photo.) Minerva’s Candy Co. returns with their handmade chocolates and candy canes. Other crafters will have glasswork, knitwear, jewelry, wood crafts, metalwork, and sewn items.
The pavilion is enclosed for the winter with supplementary heat (our thanks to the parks staff that operate the two massive heaters that keep it “jacket weather” inside the pavilion) so even when it’s frosty outside, it’s comfortable in the market.
Folks wanting to place orders for the Christmas Eve Holiday Market can order at Saturday’s market or see the sidebar at right for a list of the most commonly requested vendors and their phone numbers. They can call the market manager at 417 483-8139 for contact information.
