Market returns to support society

THE Smythesdale Country Market is back for 2022 in the town’s historic precinct.

Held on the third Saturday of every month, it’s not just a chance for local small businesses to mix, mingle and get their products out there, but it’s the Woady Yaloak Historical Society’s major fundraiser.

Those who support the book stall in the stables, the sausage sizzle and morning tea will be boosting the work of the Society which keeps the area’s history alive, and cares for its heritage spaces including the courthouse, masonic lodge, stables, and bluestone cells.

Market administrator Bill MacNeill is encouraging people from across the Shire, and further afield, to take a trip to the event, and immerse themselves in that rich history.

“It has a very local feel with lots of stalls, including the Scarsdale CWA’s cake stall, local olive oils, giftware, bric-a-brac, native plants, and the very popular Tool Man, and we’ve received a small grant from Golden Plains Shire to put on live music,” he said.

“It’s a little bit out of Ballarat, and we’re encouraging people from there to come along, because there are not always enough regular marketgoers from the local area coming along to sustain it.

“Come out and spend the day in Smythesdale, have lunch at the pub, visit the other second-hand stores in town, and just hang out.”

Woady Yaloak Historical Society president James Brown said events like the market are the heart of the community.

“We see a lot of the same visitors every month, who come along to have a chat and peruse the stalls,” he said.

“It’s fantastic to see that social aspect of the market, particularly in light of recent years where people have been staying apart.

“We are incredibly excited to be able to present tours run by Historical Society volunteers as well, to show off the amazing history right in the middle of the Smythesdale township.”

Organisers are on the lookout for small fruit and vegetable producers who would like to become stallholders, and potential market volunteers, who could in turn connect with other community organisations.

The Smythesdale Country market will run between 10am and 2pm this Saturday, 19 March.