Community Corner

Caldwell Farmers' Market Gets Fresh, New Look

Resident donates design services. Market starts Friday, June 29—same place, new hours.

Some volunteers roll up their sleeves to work on community projects. Others donate their professional services to help the organization meet its goals. Caldwell resident and designer Carolynn O’Brien does both.

Not only has O’Brien helped plant and mulch trees along Bloomfield Avenue and worked on the annual Beautification Dinner, but the owner of The Graphics Connection, Inc., is also responsible for the beautiful new Caldwell Farmers’ Market banners that will soon hang throughout the downtown.

Each banner design features an original illustration of a seasonal vegetable. O’Brien’s artwork captures the spirit of this year’s market, with an increased emphasis on fresh, natural, local foods.

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“I envisioned the market having a small-town, friendly appeal to it. I wanted to emphasize a fresh, organic, raw feel, almost like a farmer hand-painted and stenciled the sign,” said O’Brien. “To me, the market brings families and neighbors together, with healthy food at the center of everything. I created multiple versions to keep it fresh and give it a dynamic quality, as the market is always changing, too.” 

The Caldwell Farmers’ Market provides a wonderful community gathering place downtown. This year’s volunteer committee is busy planning special children’s events, guest speakers, musical performances, and other surprises. They are also working to integrate local businesses and civic organizations into the market. Cooking demonstrations by local restaurant chefs are planned. Space has been reserved for local merchants and nonprofits to share their expertise or showcase their businesses or organizations.

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This is not the first design work O’Brien has done for the nonprofit. Three years ago, she designed the Project Main Street logo. 

Why does O’Brien volunteer for Project Main Street?

“As a member of the community, I’m grateful to the many people before me who gave their time and services to make Caldwell a wonderful place to live and work. So, it seems natural to me to ‘pay it forward’ by being involved and helping in any way I can to improve our town,” she explained. “I want Caldwell to continue to be a safe place, where traffic flows carefully and our kids can cross the streets easily. I also want to see us preserve the town’s history and revitalize the downtown so that residents can enjoy Caldwell even more, now and into the future. I hope that my volunteering with Project Main Street— donating my creative services as well as participating in meetings and events— has not only helped make Caldwell a better place, but may also motivate others to become involved.”

The Caldwell Farmers’ Market will be held on Fridays, from noon to 6 p.m., beginning June 29. The market will again be held in the Smull Avenue municipal parking lot, behind Caldwell Cinema.

For more information or to become a volunteer, please email ProjectMainSt@gmail.com or call 973-600-9607. “Like” Project Main Street and The Caldwell Farmers’ Market on Facebook for continued updates.

This article was provided by Project Main Street.


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