Local activists and organizers are looking for new ways to bring their communities together and, at the same time, invite people from other neighborhoods to come to Center City. Organizers say this part of Manchester has a bad reputation and want to change it.
Manchester Grows volunteer, Peter Maclelan, said the goal was to say that people could also have good experiences in this part of the city. He offered free peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants from their community gardens.
“It is great to see that people without a car can also enjoy it,” he said.
Local artist, Amber Cannan, is a biomedical artist who created a community art project that was a success among the children at the market. She makes cyanotypes with images the kids create under the sun. She has recollected more than 120 and plans to sew them into a giant quilt.
“I really want to reach kids that live around here so they know art and science can be fun,” said Cannan.
While a local musician played eerie music from his synthesizers, Ryan Hoynacki popped big amounts of kettle corn in a giant pan. He has been doing it for twenty years at local farmers' markets and says it has become a part of who he is.
Like him, others also want to have a job that brings them joy. Fresh Start Farms support a program that gives refugees a space to grow vegetables and start a new life.
Fadum Yussuf from Kenya had her produce at the market. While she sold her greens, she showed people the difference between American and African corn. She said it was all about the sweetness.
Christine Hoffman was another artist that practices woodburning. She sells funky jewelry, among other things.
“The fact that this is a community-based fair is different from your regular arts and crafts fair, and I think that is what makes it awesome,” Hoffman said.
Organizers said they are also reviving a local printed newsletter that can serve as a way to better connect people on this side of Manchester.
