Bloomington Farmer's Market

While exploring the Bloomington farmer's market, I noticed that the event was being propelled by music. It seemed as though music was keeping the people flowing throughout the market, and not the goods that were there for purchase. When I entered the market, the first thing I saw was West African drummers and dancers performing. The performance that was taking place was the perfect example of participatory performance. The dancers and drummers were encouraging people that were walking through the market to join them. When we spoke to the drummer, he said that a perfect performance was one where everyone was participating and kids aren't afraid to join in. The parts of the market that sold meat and produce also had performers sprinkled throughout. People would occasionally stop to watch or sing along as audience members, then they would continue to move to the next area until they saw something they wanted to purchase or heard more music. I noticed that a lot of the older people that were attending the event were in the meat and produce area. The part if the market that that had the most women and children was the DIY arts, crafts, and goods area. There was also a fountain in that section which attracted a lot of children, even though there was less music in that particular place. There were more women and children than men at the market, and there was this sense of trust among the people at the event. I saw many children walking far away from their parents. They were playing and listening to music alone. I thought that was interesting, I have never been anywhere where people have enough trust in their community to let their children wander freely in such a large environment. The vendors selling commercial goods were located at the back of the market in an area that was more distant from music in comparison to other areas. In my opinion, this showed that people value helping their community more than helping larger well known organizations and politicians. I think the music is what drives the whole event and keeps people engaged while encouraging them to explore all parts of the market.