Outdoor market captures weekly crowds

What would the attraction be every Saturday from early June to late fall at a rural spot in Alberta that includes a race track, a few buildings and thousands of weekly visitors?
While the weather was freezing outside last January, we were being invited to drop by and see for ourselves what this community's agricultural society has been offering an area near Calgary for many years - more successfully than most others in the marketplace.
The invitation came from someone so enthusiastic about his community and its famous farmers' market, that he convinced us to accept the invitation and spend a Saturday morning of our holidays at the outdoor market at Millarville, Alta.
We had found accommodations in a nearby town and had scoped out our destination the day before so we wouldn't spend valuable shopping time being lost or seeking directions. By such advance planning we were able to arrive at the market 30 minutes prior to the listed starting time, not wanting to get caught in any traffic jams or having to park too far from the vendors' stands.
After paying the $2 parking fee which was pleasantly collected by a smiling attendant who encouraged us "to enjoy your day", we found a spot to park and sat there awhile just watching and listening, and marvelling at the continuous line of cars efficiently moving through the gates.
"Let's go," I prompted housemate, not wanting to miss the chance to buy something even though it couldn't be perishable because we didn't have much space in the car and we weren't heading home that day. Buy and consume would be the theme of our excursion.
We were wise to arrive early, a fact we soon discovered. Within a half hour of the start time, the aisles were becoming congested and it took longer to obtain the samples of foodstuffs - smoked sausages, barbecued beef, crackers and honey dip, fresh seasonal fruit - a virtual brunch of flavours and textures.
It also helped to be nimble, to avoid being run over or tripping over the veteran shoppers who wheeled their coolers and carts with a fervour that could be compared to the excitement of a Boxing Day sale.
By the time morning was finished, their coolers contained enough meat products and fresh vegetables and fruit to feed the family until the market opened the next week.
While I was disappointed at not being able to purchase some of the meat products, I was not at all sad that we weren't able to buy the plastic bags filled with chicken livers and gizzards, and the ones with the chicken's feet displayed enticingly, and being scooped up by close-by shoppers.
In his haste, housemate managed to miss this particular display and was unhappy that I didn't bring it to his attention. I can't imagine the nephew and niece's faces if we had arrived in their yard offering a plastic bag of chicken's feet to keep cool in their refrigerator.
Three hours later we had purchased a large basket of strawberries, some Polish cookies and cakes, some tiny loaves large enough for a snack and three green bags. We had also seen the wares of more than 170 vendors - food and artisan, and checked out the grounds and the efficiency with which the market was set up and operated.
Being famished from all this shopping, we also enjoyed a rancher-style breakfast prepared and served with the regimentation of the most efficient fast food operation, eaten outside under a hot, summer morning sun shining in a clear blue sky.
We were glad that we had dropped by to see this largest outdoor market in Southern Alberta and pleased that strangers at a convention had invited us to come for a visit.
Housemate thinks the next time we stop in, he will have his own cooler with room for a bag of chicken feet. I'm sure that cooler will be filled with elk and bison meat, other chicken parts and maybe even a slab of fragrant cheese made at a nearby colony.

Joyce Walter can be reached at 691-1259.