Chamber looking for more vendors as Saturday Market starts

Havre’s Saturday Market will start again July 9 at 8 a.m. and the Havre-Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for more participants.

“Saturday Market provides an opportunity for the community to connect with farmers, artists, artisans, crafters, visitors, friends, neighbors and local businesses,” a release from the Chamber says. “The market is a family-friendly event in the heart of our downtown; it provides a gathering place for all ages to get-together, shop, eat, mingle and support local business.

Chamber Executive Director Jessica Fagerbakke said Wednesday morning that, so far, they have eight vendors offering items from embroidered towels to hand-carved wood products, baked goods, to knives and swords.

Fagerbakke said she’s looking to get as many vendors as possible and, if more than expected sign up, she’ll work with the city on the logistics.

“I wouldn’t turn anyone away,” she said. “I’d make it work.”

She said the markets run from July 9 through Sept. 17 and vendors can pay for the whole season, or for individual days, by contacting the Chamber at 406-265-4383.

The markets operate from 8 a.m. to noon at Town Square.

The release says vendors are required to supply everything they need to conduct business — tables, chairs, canopies and so on — and electricity is not provided.

The cost for Chamber members is $10 for a week, $20 for Festival Days weekend, or $100 for the summer, a $20 discount, and, for non-Chamber members, $20 a week and $30 for Festival Days, or $220 for the summer for non-Chamber members, a $10 discount.

Space provided is 10 foot by 10-foot and people looking for additional space can get it for a $75 fee for the summer.

The release says vendors paying weekly must register and pay fees by the Thursday prior to the market at the Havre Chamber office at 130 Fifth Ave.

Fagerbakke said she’s meeting with Havre Mayor Doug Kaercher and other city officials today to work out street closures for Festival Days, but planning for that event is still in its early stages.

She said she’s trying to get the event a bit more centralized this year, potentially moving the Festival Days Craft Show to the Atrium Mall instead of the Holiday Village Mall to try to make things more walkable instead of having people driving between events all the time.