I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota State Fair, so one of my absolute summer highlights was enjoying the new Turkey Kristo sandwich at the Minnesota Farmer’s Union Coffee Shop. Of course, I’d love to tell you that the Ferndale turkey stole the show, but the spirit of an authentically local sandwich – including CannonBelles cheese – made it all the better. Trust me, it was fun to fulfill a smoked turkey order that was headed to the State Fair!

Then again, we had a highlight-filled summer. A mural appeared on our market building, we launched a new turkey burger, our public farm tour day was a hit, and I got to toss the first pitch at a Saints game. Now we turn the page to fall, and shift to delivering turkey to schools instead of fairs. Around here, everybody knows what the start of autumn brings – yes, we’ve already got Thanksgiving on the brain (although, I think that long ago become a chronic condition for me!).

In the spirit of putting all our focus toward TurkeyFest, you may notice that we aren’t hosting our usual fall festival this season. Some of you may recall that the origins of our fall events reach back to our grand opening in October 2008. I like to look back on what I must have envisioned all those autumns ago, sitting in my quiet makeshift office in the hustling and uncertain days before we opened. I’m sure I never imagined our turkey would be a featured item on a State Fair menu, or even at the local coffee shop, or at our local school.

In the spirit of this fall anniversary season, we thank you for supporting Ferndale Market as we’ve grown, adapted, and even painted murals on our walls. We wouldn’t be here – or at the State Fair – without you!