Farmers' Markets downtown Prince George busy despite chilly, windy, rainy weather

The cold, wind and sporadic sprinkles of rain didn’t stop hundreds of people from flocking downtown Prince George Saturday morning to check out the Farmers’ Markets located at the Courthouse and on Third Avenue and Quebec Street.

It's the beginning of the farmers' market season that goes until October.

Vendors offered everything from baked goods to barbecue sauce, fresh lettuce to food truck fries, gemstone bracelets to bee’s wax candles.

Heather McLeish of Sweetpea Gems has been creating her gemstone bracelets for the last four years.

“I really like touching the gemstones, because touching gemstones can be very healing,” McLeish said. “I’ve got a (seven-year-old) granddaughter who is a very busy little girl and whenever she comes around and helps me with my gemstones I can see her calm right down.”

McLeish got her start in the craft after she and her girlfriend Nancy made a bracelet together when they were down in Arizona.

“And it took off from there,” McLeish said. “I just really enjoy coming to the farmers’ market because I like interacting with people.”

McLeish made a sale to a young lady that stopped by the table.

“A lot of my business is the young crowd,” she said after she completed the sale. “They are so inspired by gemstones and it goes along with the way the world is right now and they’re just looking for something.”

From the WS Community Farmers’ Market, straight up Third Avenue is the Prince George Farmers’ Market at 1310 Third Avenue. Each market has sections of the roads closed in their immediate area so partons don’t have to worry about traffic when they’re browsing.

The young Monroe family, including mom Danielle, dad Eric, and two-year-old son Lincoln had just come from one of the many food trucks that are part of the markets.

Lincoln was happy to show off his tin foil bag full of chips and his recently-acquired toy dinosaur he got from the Jurassic Quest at CN Centre from earlier in the day. It seems he was equally happy with both his possessions as he perched upon Dad’s shoulders for the best view.

“This is our first time with our little guy and we were just saying maybe we should start coming here every weekend,” Danielle said. “It’s bigger than I remember from our last visit – there’s more vendors and Lincoln likes all the dogs that are down here.”

The Farmers’ Markets each go from 8:30 to 2 p.m. every Saturday.