Featured photo © Tom Walters / OCPL
Last week, Dania and Erin Cassidy spent a few hours at the Syracuse Weekly Farmers’ Market in Clinton Square, bringing a little bit of that B’ville energy to a busy stretch of downtown Syracuse. Dania shared this message about her experience, “I have always loved doing library outreach and this was my first time at this farmers’ market! I had a great time talking to and meeting new patrons, plus I found some very special and unique vegetables to take home to the family. It is worth the trip from B’ville to meet new people and explore local farms.”
The morning started cool and cloudy, with rain threatening overhead, but by the early afternoon the clouds cleared and the temperature climbed. Despite the changing weather, we connected with approximately 100 visitors throughout the day including market regulars and families making the most of their final week before school resumed. There were many visitors to the booth that came to nab the weekly button for their collection. Others were more interested in library offerings, like free park passes, and a few even signed up for a card on the spot! More often, people stopping in would tell us they had a card or were even a trustee on the board of their local library and how much they love the library’s programs, services, and collections. We were showered with praise which we much preferred to rain.
Onondaga County Public Library provided us with produce-themed buttons and recipe cards to share, but our favorite part of the day was simply talking with people. We answered questions, shared information about library resources and services, and enjoyed the enthusiasm and positive energy of everyone who stopped by. It was a wonderful reminder that libraries are about much more than books, they’re about connecting people with information, opportunities, and each other. It was also the perfect day for spotting some cute dogs!
We must share that we discovered the unofficial lemonade of the library! In between interacting with our booth visitors, the booth next door, run by Jackie’s Cold Press Lemonade and Baked Goods, offered us some fantastic flavors to sample. We even developed a few new favorites including Peach Hibiscus, Cucumber Basil, and Apple Pumpkin. And then, in a moment that perfectly captured the library’s ethos of timely and appropriate service, Maggie Foster of OCPL provided a sting suppressant pad from OCPL’s first aid kit when one of their staff was stung by a bee. The library is here to help in unexpected ways!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello. We loved meeting you and feeding your button obsessions!