Banners with the picture of the Hometown hero will  hang from light poles along River Road N. in Keizer.

They will be created and hung shortly after the Iris Festival banners come down, about the 3rd week of May. They will continue to be displayed until the 2nd week of September. After this time, the banners will be available for pick up at the Salem Saturday Market office located at 1320 Waller St. SE in Salem.

Click here for the Hometown Heroes Application  The idea for Hometown Heroes came to the Salem Saturday Market organization by way of Tina Schneider, SSM board member.  Tina’s hometown in California did a similar project honoring military veterans and current personnel, hanging banners with their photos from lights poles along the main street in her hometown.

She and her sister sponsored a banner for their father, a World War 2 veteran who fought along side “The Band of Brothers” in the battles during the most devastating winter in 1944 Germany. Tina’s father passed away many years ago, but relatives and friends were touched to see his banner displayed in a town where he was so well known and admired. Along with several cousins, she and her sister also sponsored their Uncle Victor, a 30 year
veteran who fought during the Korean War and 2 tours of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter
gunner. Their uncle is still alive and when he was brought downtown to see his banner, the
emotions swelled inside him and several members of the family thought they saw a tear or two
well up in his eyes. All he could say was a very emotional thank you and that he wanted his
banner to be closer to the girls dad when the banners fly again later this year.

How to Order

If you have someone you would like to honor fill out and return the application with a
photo of the person to be honored.

Requirements for photos are 2-3mb, minimum 300dpi.

You can send a digital copy to:
hometownheroes@salemsaturdaymarket.com

or you may mail a photo which will be scanned and returned to you to:
Hometown Heroes
c/o Salem Saturday Market
PO Box 13691
Salem OR 97309
The cutoff date for ordering your banner is May 10th, 2013.
Please do not send your credit card info through email. All applications must be paid in full
before work begins on your banner.

Market Manager:

Primary Responsibilities:

The Market Manager has primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations and promotions for 5 weekly outdoor markets from April to October and the Holiday Market in December. The Market Manager runs the markets consistent with vendor rules and guidelines and serves as community liaison, representing the Market with its 200 vendor/members to both customers and to the community.

• Hires, trains and supervises seasonal staff for market operations, including performance review and recommendations.
• Prepares and executes advertising and marketing plans
• Assists in budget preparation and tracking expenses
• Prepares written and verbal reports to Board of Directors
• Manages vendor categories and booth assignments.
• Perform daily market operations as detailed below.

The Market Manager is supervised by the Officers of the Salem Saturday Market, Inc.,a non-profit corporation.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience with farmer’s markets preferred.
• Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Self-motivated, organized, with excellent time management skills and the ability to work independently. Able to meet daily deadlines without the benefit of constant supervision.
• Ability to train, supervise, coordinate and motivate staff and volunteers.
• Ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and age groups. Passionate about the community and local agriculture.
• Experience working with media used in advertising, including radio, TV, newspaper, print and social media a plus.
• Must currently possess or able to obtain First Aid/CPR Certification.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds.
• Must have a valid Oregon driver’s license, clean of driving tickets or accidents for the past 5 years and must have own transportation.

Work Hours:

It is expected that the Market Day Coordinator will work approximately 25-30 hours per week during the Market season weekly from April through October and to prepare and coordinate activities for the Holiday Market in December. This is a regular, seasonal position with variable hours requiring presence at all markets and necessary off-site work during non-market hours for preparation and planning. Other duties may take place during the off season to include coordinating marketing, preparing advertising to promote the markets, budgeting and preparing for the new season.

To Apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@salemsaturdaymarket.com with Market Manager as the message title. More information about Salem Saturday Market is available at www.salemsaturdaymarket.com. Application deadline: April 1, 2013.

 About the Markets:

Salem Saturday Market is a non-profit organization located in Salem, Oregon, now in its 15^th year of operation.  Its mission is to provide vendor/members as growers, producers, artisans and crafters with the sites and services needed to market their own hand-made or grown products directly to the consumer; to enhance the quality of life in the Willamette Valley by providing a vibrant, environmentally responsible gathering place; to strengthen community support for our local economy and agriculture.Salem Saturday Market operates five outdoor farmers’ markets during the market season from April through October and the Holiday Market on the second weekend in December. The largest, Salem Saturday Market, is located two blocks from the Capitol Building and is held, rain or shine, from 9am to 3pm from April through October. Music, hot food and community activities make this square block a lively place during market season. The Wednesday Farmers Market, located in downtown Salem, runs from May through October. The Hospital Market is open from 10am to 2pm each Monday on the Salem Hospital grounds. Two new markets are opening for the 2013 season. The Keizer Sunday Farmer’s Market will be held each Sunday from 10am to 2pm from June to Labor Day at the Keizer City Hall on Chemawa Road. The Grant Neighborhood Farmer’s Market will be held on Thursday evenings from 4pm to 8pm at the Broadway Commons on Broadway in Northeast Salem. The Holiday Market is the largest market offering only vendor-made crafts, foods and art in the state. It is a 2 day event held at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on the second weekend in December each year. Holiday Market is consistently voted Best of Holiday Craft Fairs in the Willamette Valley.

Daily Market Operations: The Market Manager shall perform or oversee staff assigned:

• Drive Market truck to and from the market office each market day with required equipment, market forms, handouts/flyers, merchandise, and info for vendors and supplies.
• Prepare market site and info booth; coordinate set up and take down of market canopies for events and community booths; placement of signage, zero waste, trash receptacles and traffic control.
• Check in vendors using computer process and collect booth fees from vendors.
• Direct vendors without reserved spaces to assigned space.
• Staff and maintain the Information Booth during market hours.
• Take responsibility for supervising all Market employees and Market members working at the market. Ensure that Market members working off work deposit hours are properly instructed in their work detail.
• Set up and operate the terminals for credit cards and Electronic Benefit Transfer program for SNAP. Prepare reports for EBT/SNAP. Process credit card transactions for customers.
• Count and deposit receipts daily and prepare report of market income to treasurer and reports on customer counts.
• Provide security support as needed throughout market day. 
• Enforce market rules, food safety guidelines and pertinent laws and regulations to ensure that the market and its vendors comply with all state and county rules required. Perform booth checks to ensure vendors have weights, proper signage, and applicable licenses displayed. Communicate market policies, activities and rules to vendors, keeping them informed throughout the season. Bring suggestions from vendors back to the Salem Saturday Market Board of Directors.
• Resolve any disputes that may arise. Handle emergencies, complaints and requests with patience and diplomacy.
• Coordinate and oversee the set up and operations of entertainers, music, children’s crafts and community groups on market days.
• Maintain a safe environment for vendors and customers alike.
• Ring market opening bell and closing bell and the load out bell once staff has been able to clear tables and canopies for vendors to come into the lots to pack up. Supervise vendor load out to ensure safe market flow as vendors leave.
• Pack equipment into truck.
• Inventory, purchase or order supplies, Inspect equipment for damage and need for repair or replacement.
• Communicate with Media about upcoming events, Update Facebook and Twitter.
• Communicate with vendors about upcoming events
• Other duties as assigned. 

The Market will be in the plaza area at Broadway Commons in Salem from 4-8 pm, June through September.  Farm goods, produce, fruit, arts and crafts and food vendors are welcome.  This neighborhood market will have live music (courtesy of Broadway Coffeehouse) , family-oriented activities and should create a strong local interest. The market will be called The Thursday Evening  Market on Broadway.  The application are available on ManageMyMarket.com.

Recently the Salem blog site Salemis.org  posted an article dealing with the challenges and frustrations of doing good in Salem, specifically with the Salem Saturday Market’s Zero Waste (ZW) program.  (The full article and community comments can be found here).   In the interest of wider readership the market President’s reply is posted below.   The purpose is to let the community know this program matters, and that we are doing what we can to continue and improve the program.  We hope that the efforts to rethink and renew the Zero Waste Program as outlined below will succeed and validate all the efforts to date.

[Update - we did receive a copy of the 2010 report back to the County.  With a paid coordinator, a large volunteer group and two ZW booths it reported very positive results].

The reply

Both the author and the commenters have identified several real issues with the first version of ZW efforts at the market. There certainly were some issue that impeded success. The question “Why is it so difficult?” is a good question. Seems to me that the answer is that it is not a simple problem with a simple solution. I hope some of the following sheds some calming light on a rather emotional topic. Please remember that everyone involved is a volunteer that cares, doing their best for something they care about.

The Market Board at the time (I am the current President) clearly did not think this program through before signing on with the Friends of the Market. No one seem to asked how it would work once the grant money ran out or if FOM ran out of steam. Without those resources, the program clearly was not workable. Sadly that has resulted in burned-out, dispirited volunteers.

What we have learned from our experience and from talking with other markets and events is that unstaffed ZW stations do not work. They result in everything going to landfill. Our ZW program never reported on how much diversion was accomplished in any of the years in operation. I do know that in the last 2 years almost all went to landfill in spite of the almost heroic efforts of the volunteers. That is not success.

While there were some violations from some vendors, that merely highlights one of the many issues. For example all straws are required to be brown. There are NO long brown straws or bubble tea straws available. Same for shaved iced cups. So either the market prohibits those vendors or we allow them to use a non-compostable product. There are other examples.

Other markets, such as Portland markets have paid staff to handle the job of sorting everything at the end of the market day. That kind of spending is beyond our means. They also have different composting resources and evidently can use different product solutions than are available in Salem.

We all can agree that changes are needed to make the program effective. They must be affordable, sustainable changes. We don’t have all of the answers, but over the course of the winter with input from the community, members and stakeholders, we’ve devised a few, modest steps to move in a positive direction.

One ZW station. We will staff it with one volunteer. We are giving that volunteer a voucher for a free meal at the market for a minimum of 4 hours service. When the volunteer is not there the compost/recyclable bins will be locked. The bins will also be locked after the market, because one other major issue is that from Saturday to Wednesday people churn through the bins looking for food or recyclables and mixing (contaminating) the contents. So even when we did a great job during the market, it was often for naught. The hauler has agreed to allow locking bins, and we will pay a market staff member to come and unlock them on pickup day.

We are changing the the food vendor area into a Food Court with picnic tables and covered seating adjacent to the staffed ZW station. This will encourage proper use of the ZW bins, and reduce the number of offsite coffee cups and burger wrappers in the wrong bins.

We are working with local groups to continue and even expand the silverware re-use program to include the Wednesday and Keizer Sunday markets. We’ve brainstormed expanding to dishes (like gobox in Portland) but the logistics are too much for us this year. Maybe someday.

And yes, we will have new signs. Now that we have budget for signage (which we did not have last summer) we’d love to revitit sign ideas. New signs in conjunction with these other changes makes good sense.

It is my hope that the community recognizes that in concert with the frustration felt by many of the volunteers, the staff and Board have been frustrated as well. Yes, some did want to abandon the program. But they did not prevail.

We are working to address some of the bigger issues with the tools we have available. We’ve had great help from members, the county and our waste hauler. There is no single magic bullet to make this work. It is a multi-faceted problem. With a limited budget we are trying to take feasible steps to make the system work.

On another note, the State has allowed us to install permanent bicycle parking next to the information booth, so shoppers can have a secure, supervised place for their rides. We are looking for donations…you’ll get a plaque!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me. My email is on the market website.

The location is Heritage Park, adjacent to Keizer City Hall.

Family friendly market  with farm fresh vegetables,  fruit, and flowers.   Delicious food and quality handmade crafts also available. Come enjoy a Sunday in the Park! Plenty of parking.  

We look forward to seeing you there!

Questions? Interested in Vending? Please contact the Market Office.

Want to Perform? If you are a musician interested in performing, please contact the office.

Non-Profit? If you have a non-profit that would like to participate in the market, please contact the office.

Mark These Opening Dates:

• Saturday April 6th 9:00 am
• Wednesday May 1st 10 am
• Monday June 3 10 am