Most of the people there were either entire families or adults together; almost no one was alone. Initially, where we first met as a class was a large tent near city hall and a small adoption station for young rescued puppies. The large tent included tomato-tasting, refreshments and other various commodities for anyone that was interested. The adoption station was visited by families but most of the children were the ones playing with the animals while the adults were the overseers. As I exited this area, I ventured into the primary market grounds with stands and people alike. The first thing I noticed was a tent that was playing a local radio station that consisted of mostly country and bluegrass music. Next to it was a stand selling mostly homegrown fruits and vegetables and next to that was someone selling bee products i.e. honey, wax, etc. Next to that was a row of vendors selling mostly fruits and vegetables with the addition of tons of flowers and flower products. The majority of these two areas were encompassed with a lot of families and adults seeming to buy gifts for loved ones and little ones.
Most of the aisles of the mart were lined with assorted fruit and vegetable stands and sprinkled with the occasional oddity. Some had meats, some had natural products such as plants, some had corn, and so on – most of which were visited by adults and elders as opposed to full families and young ones. In all of this, there was only one stand that was utilizing music and that was a meat and bratwurst vendor. There seemed to be plenty of assorted meat products all accompanied by the twangy sounds of a country radio station. Every time I passed by, this man seemed to have more and more customers. I think the familiarity of the country music may have been what attracted so many people to his stand. They may have felt a similar welcoming and uniting vibe that I had felt heading towards the market. Also, with the passing by of mostly an adult audience, I would imagine that sales were increased due to a subconscious and biological explanation of children’s inability to chew food as well as their elders. However, this vendor was one of only two stands dedicated to the selling of what was primarily meat and neither was very low on customers so to say that music and biology were the only variables in which influenced the visitation of people would be a bit of an extreme assumption.
Along a small pathway along a curve (near the top of the map, heading left) were various tables and stands set up for political advisors and promoters. What I found most interesting about this area was the lack of visitors. In the food zones, you could barely see anything two tents down due to the large crowds of people. In this street however, literally every political table could be seen with just a glance. This entire area seemed to be avoided. It almost seemed as though the people at each station were not happy with being there for the reason they were and instead wished to enjoy the festivities with everyone else. One way I think this could be explained is that politics are typically about beating a governmental opponent for a specific position and thus cause separation and discourse. In relation to the unification of this event, most people may have wished to avoid these areas to prevent any sort of debates or arguments and instead enjoy the mutual connections felt with others at the market. I did feel a little bit of sympathy for this section though. Beyond all the politics, there was an Indiana University student attempting to sell tickets for various events here at IU and was basically avoided throughout the day. In addition, there was a trio comprised of a saxophone, drum set, and double bass that was performing improvisational jazz and jam band music. In my opinion, they were my favorite musical group performing at the market and had very few if at all patrons that stopped and listened.
The next and final area of the market (pictured in the bottom half of the map) was what I assumed to be intended for a younger audience. Along the central statue (conveniently of 2 enormous chairs at a giant table) were primarily the sweets and treats stands. These contained snacks and foods such as heated drinks, cold smoothies, bakery goods, and some candy if my memory serves me correctly. As stated, there were plenty of small children in this area because any child would want some nice sugary sweets to keep them going in large crowds of people on a hot day. A little further down were the main attractions for any toddler, infant, or young one: balloon animals and children’s songs. There was an older man with a ukulele and a Hawaiian t-shirt performing familiar tunes that almost any kid would know and for added appearance value was accompanied by a dancing parrot and a gentleman that could make any sort of balloon figure upon request. One could see the pure joy emitting from each child’s face as he contorted and entertained.
The one aspect that I found most interesting among this whole farmers’ market was the presence and attraction of various musicians among the grounds. There were 4 major acts throughout, two of which I have already mentioned. As stated, the ukulele and children’s tunes performer was in what I would deem the children’s section and the jazzy jam band was near the political realm. Both were near an entrance/exit area and I assume this was to welcome patrons as they approached to let them know that the market was a very friendly and clean place to be. Inside the market, there was a banjo/fiddle player near the sweets circle to add a sort of upbeat feel to a bright area and a resophonic guitar and double bass duo near the main fruits and vegetables area that sang mostly about woe and love at a young yet mature age. I’m almost certain the latter was meant to appeal toward the older group as many people stopped to listen and videotape.
Overall, I could easily compare the entire market toward the idea and style of participatory music because everyone, whether aware or not, is a willing participant of the farmers’ market. As stated, there was this feeling of unification among the patrons that was no different than that of what a participatory music scene would feel like. Each person is welcomed and assumed to be an equal in both participatory music and the farmers’ market.
No comments:
Post a Comment