The Sackville Farmers Market is looking for a new manager. Longtime market manager Michael Freeman is moving on, taking on a new job as a caseworker for street involved youth in Moncton.

Freeman says there’s been lots of changes at the Farmers Market in the roughly eight years since he first took on the job of manager, including the growth of businesses that sometimes move on to become brick and mortar shops.

One of the big developments is the market’s relationship with the town government. “We have built up a very, very good relationship with the town of Sackville,” says Freeman. “They dish out all kinds of lovely in-kind benefits: use of the park, all kinds of promotion and logistical assistance.”

Though the market has been around in one form or another for about 35 years, it incorporated in 2012, and a formal relationship with the town started to develop in the ensuing years.

“We have a very strong volunteer board, the majority of whom are vendors at the market and business owners in Sackville,” says Freeman. The board does committee work involving development of the organization and long term planning.

Freeman says the role of market manager has grown over the years he’s held the position, now including not just Saturday logistics, but also promotion, professional development, and grant writing. “It reflects all of the things that go into coordinating a large weekly event in this town,” says Freeman.

Freeman says it was a difficult decision to leave the market, and he will remain a Sackville resident, commuting to work in Moncton. “I think I might be a Sackville lifer,” he says. “And I’ll probably be at the market just as much as always, but as a customer.”

The market board is accepting applications on an ongoing basis until April 16, 2022, and hoping to fill the position as soon as possible. Details of the job are available online.