The first Salt Spring Saturday Market of 2024 is on the books, and the clouds that covered Centennial Park — both literally and metaphorically — seemed to have finally parted for the event.
So far, the new paving project that caused so much heartache over the winter is getting rave reviews.
Back in 2022, when more than a half million dollars in federal grant funding allocated to projects like revitalizing the Centennial Park Plaza was made available, there was a lot of second-guessing when the now-defunct Salt Spring Parks and Recreation Commission — and local CRD director Gary Holman — chose to reallocate precious “gas tax” and parks reserve monies to meet the project’s budget shortfall and keep the endeavor (and the federal funding) alive.
As islanders privately calculated how far that money would go elsewhere — pick your underfunded society, service or amenity that could use $561,748 — we were reminded the only project that qualified for that specific grant was Centennial Park.
So as we peered through the chain link fence all winter, we curated patience, and excused ourselves for wondering whether the seemingly monolithic slab of concrete — easier walking and better drainage notwithstanding — could possibly support the character of our community’s “make it, bake it, grow it” jewel as well as those old cobblestones did.
When the fences came down ahead of last weekend, we got an answer to that part at least. The heart of our Saturday Market beat happily on the textured paving, under some spring sunshine; vendors smiled, visitors wandered, and locals’ grumbles seemed to subside for a moment as we greeted one another, enjoying a long weekend.
While Saturday Market observers saw fewer tourists tripping over uneven cobblestones, they should also note we’ve now begun the first season our market will be managed by a fully-local Salt Spring Island Saturday Market Society, rather than by the regional district.
We wish that board, the vendors and the market community a successful season.