Wednesday, October 14, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon C O M M U N I T 3 Y Sisters Folk Festival to dedicate art gallery PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK With determination and innovation, the Sisters Farmers Market ran through the summer, a bright spot in a summer plagued by canceled events. Celebrating market success through the pandemic By Caroline Hager Sisters Farmers Market Manager In a year marked by canceled events, sep- aration, and loss, it can be difficult to focus on the positives. But one place that positive energy was palpable this summer was in Fir Street Park each Sunday. The success of Sisters Farmers Market can be attributed to a few factors 4 perhaps the most prominent being the community support. In March, the pandemic threatened the possibility of holding markets this sum- mer. It was the community of vendors from past seasons of Sisters Farmers Market that advocated for the continuation of the in- person events. The Seed to Table team, in their first year managing the Market, hit the ground running to plan safe infrastruc- ture for opening day on June 7. The City of Sisters provided guidance and resources to ensure the safety of the event in the context of the coronavirus. With crucial volunteer support, an online pre-order service was created to provide a contactless pick-up option for vulnerable community mem- bers. Seed to Table provided a Food For All Discount at their weekly booth, giving those financially impacted by COVID-19 access to vegetables and other essential items at discounted rates or free of charge. In addition, vendors who themselves were vulnerable to COVID-19 were able to sell in a contactless method as well. Special thank you to The Roundhouse Foundation and the Central Oregon Health Council for making our COVID-19 discount program possible! By opening day, 10 different vendors were scheduled for the season. Volunteers arrived early to set up the one-way flow, give friendly distancing reminders, and help hand out free KN95 masks and hand See SUCCESS on page 8 Sisters Folk Festival is dedicating their new visual arts gallery in the Sisters Artworks Building in honor of Cindy and Duncan Campbell. The dedication is set for Friday, October 23, with a celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Sisters Folk Festival finalized the purchase of the Sisters Art Works Building in December of 2019, com- pleting a two-year, $1.4 mil- lion capital campaign that included upgrades and addi- tions to their home office and site of their largest festival venue. Consistent with the original vision that build- ing owners Kathy and Frank Deggendorfer imagined when they donated more than $500,000 in equity to kick off the campaign, SFF9s ownership of the building has allowed the organization to begin offering music and arts education programming to adults and children at their facility starting this fall. Two of the largest contrib- utors to the campaign were Cindy and Duncan Campbell, who are well known in Oregon for their philan- thropic efforts as founders of Friends of the Children, a nationwide organization ded- icated to breaking the gener- ational cycle of poverty. The Campbells see their support of Sisters Folk Festival as consistent with their giving.