When the first twinge of crispness can be felt in the air, alongside the ever-shorter days and the odd leaf swirling down to the ground, one knows summer is slowly leaving the stage, to soon be replaced by the colourful transformation of autumn. Another indication of autumn is, of course, the harvest when farmers are finally able to reap the benefits of their hard, earnest work at tending their crops. It’s a time of celebration and festivity as we feel gratitude to the bounty of the land.

This bounty can be experienced for non-farmers via a new popular trend – the emergence of local farmers’ markets, which now swell with people on weekends who are eager to source fresh food, to eat locally and support their farmers.

Here in Squamish over the past five years, we’ve witnessed this exponential growth and each Saturday throughout the summer and fall, a car park area in the downtown booms to life with adults, kids, dogs, musicians, artisans and farmers. It’s a truly happy place to go to mingle, eat, listen to music and feel that sense of connectedness within a community.

So savour the last days of summer, nibble on homemade goodies, catch up with that friend or neighbour you’ve been meaning to see and feel the life of the people around you… before the rains return and we dash around town under umbrellas, with summer a distant memory we clench onto in order to help us carry us through.

~Dawn