Do You Need a Reason to Chicken Dance?

It's always a good time to do the Chicken Dance... even at the Farmer's Market on Madison's Capitol Square.

The group calling itself "Wingin' It" had a chicken mask available for intrepid dancers to get into the spirit of the proceedings.

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!

The music was part of a city-wide celebration last Saturday with hundreds of musical acts playing venues all over the city.  Another reason to dance the Chicken Dance. 

A Farmer's Market seems like a good place to dance, since in some places along the sidewalk you may have to dance to get from one booth to the next.  These weekends you'll find fresh strawberries, asparagus, beans, beef, and radishes to name just a few of the hundreds of offerings.


Around the large block are booths with fresh baked goods and honey; booths from farms with sophisticated operations offering official organic foods; and also people who till the soil by hand, plant and harvest, then meticulously clean each vegetable before putting it on sale.  You can see the pride of ownership and a dash of salesmanship as you walk from booth to booth.

Some of the special features in Madison's market is the music that pops up in trios playing and singing from inside a doorway to handfuls of passers-by that stop to enjoy what they have to offer.

You also find as you circle the square (is that possible?), various political groups and causes sharing their message on signs, posters, and offering to share their point of view with those who ask questions.

From what I observed, it's more a marketplace of ideas situation than people on soapboxes trying to shout down opposing views.

The market rolls along every Saturday from March through October and the crowds come for the freshest of foods, the event, and the people.

Farm Markets can be found in cities of all sizes - I recently heard that Stevens Point, Wisconsin offers a Farmer's Market six days a week.  Around Madison and Dane County there are market days throughout the week available for those growing and the rest of us eager to purchase the fresh food.

I enjoy the opportunity to see the folks who come to offer their products.

Some exhibitors come from a long distance to be on the square - Milwaukee and Antigo are two of the booths a long way from home.  The music is fun to hear - from those you stop to listen to and the way the music and ambient noise blends together in a Market cacophony.

Even if you don't need the fresh picked fruits and vegetables, check out a Farm Market in your area - it's worth the trip.