I’ve been placing more enthusiasm, excitement, and expectations on the farmer’s markets farther away from Ottawa. Not sure why, but perhaps the longer the drive, the more the excitement and expectation build. This time was no different but the result was fantastic! First off, the Marche Vieux Aylmer, or the Old Aylmer Market was really not that far however, it was absolutely wonderful. Far exceeded expectations!
Once we found the Old Aylmer Market, or Marche Vieux Aylmer, I thought it was only a handful of stalls and that was alright. I wasn’t expecting anymore than that in a town the size of Aylmer. The signage at the entranceways was certainly impressive. However, once we entered the market and started walking through the market, the market and vendors kept going. And going! It was very impressive! Memorial Park where the market is held, has a round central area with a statue and benches all around it. The vendor stalls are lined up along the paths leading up to the central area and then there are vendor stalls all around the central statue and benches. Wonderful layout and setup. The landscaping and flowers in this park were also beautifully done. There were plenty of trees so despite the sunny day the shade from the trees helped keep visitors, dogs, and vendors cool.
There were the usual components to a farmers market, vendors, produce, baked goods, coffee, artisans, florists, jewelers, food vendors, and a performer and this was the first market where I saw a big lemon, lemonade stand. I did notice the jeweler that I saw at the Wakefield Farmers Market and I bought my necklace. While we’ve not been buying much lately from farmers’ markets, we did buy a couple of things from this one. We had a wonderful conversation and time with the vendor at Cizo & Deco were we bought Norm a bandana. Reasonably priced, attached to your dog’s collar and has a little pocket for your dog’s special things, poop bags!
I love almond croissants but they can be hard to find. I found some at the Old Aylmer Market. The Charlotte Macarons stall had many macarons and a few varieties of croissants including almond. That was my other purchase. Unfortunatley, the croissant didn’t make it home!
The energy and vibe of the market was great. So much so that we strolled along the main drag, rue Principale, which lead us to the Aylmer marina and the Ottawa River. There was a lovely park and path by the marina and lots of benches and places to sit and enjoy the view. The Old Aylmer town was very cute, with lots old builders, plenty of patios to sit at, each and enjoy the scenery and sunshine. Parking wasn’t easy to find but there were plenty of side streets and parking along all of them. One thing I noticed throughout out walk in Aylmer was benches. There were many artistic and scuplted benches. I took a few pictures of them but I didn’t get them all. Old Aylmer is a very artistic little town and I’m looking forward to exploring it more next year!
Old Aylmer Market
Location: 117 Principale Street, Gatineau (Memorial Park; corner of Broad and Main St)
Dates: June – October
Hours: 10 am – 3 pm
Website: https://marchevieuxaylmer.com/en
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