Come enjoy the market, with the dog and a leash
(from the Des Moines Register May 9, 2008)
There will be new dog-etiquette guidelines in place at the Downtown Farmers Market in Des Moines when it opens this Saturday. Owners must keep pooches on a 3-foot leash and away from produce, plants and prepared food. The pets should be sociable and have a current license and rabies shots.
Though other large markets ban dogs and some Iowans have complained about them, Des Moines' market will remain dog friendly.
That's great. It's a testament to the people of Iowa who recognize that the fun of the Saturday morning market experience is the medley of sounds, smells, people and even pets. Crowds stack up as knots of neighbors stop to chat or as parents push double-wide strollers through the masses. Vendors load up shoppers with bags of veggies, tossing in cooking tips for free. Non-foodies take in the scene, sipping Bloody Marys at outdoor cafés.
The market is a hodge-podge, living proof that there are great things to do in a state sometimes accused of having too few such diversions.
The market comes to life again tomorrow. Nearly 200 vendors will sell everything from free-range chickens to fresh flowers. New vendors this year include a mushroom-farming couple and producers of deer and emu meat. Crowds of up to 20,000 are expected.
Spend the morning there. Munch kettle corn or an egg roll. Buy some fresh bread, tea or handmade soap. And, if an owner invites it, enjoy petting a well-behaved, leashed dog.
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