ARTS // BAW Baw is known for its vibrant markets and arts community, and a new annual event is set to bring those scenes together in Erica.
Above: Klaire Anderson with the market poster. Photo: William PJ Kulich.
The Market in the Mountains will be held on 13 December at the Erica oval. Presented by the Erica Progress Association but organised by Moe artist Klaire Anderson, the event will feature local arts and crafts, produce and live music.
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“My partner’s from Erica so me and a friend who’s also got her own small business have both been doing markets for a while and we just decided we would like to do one up there because we love it up there,” Ms Anderson told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen.
“The market will be arts and crafts and local produce, similar to the [Warragul Arts and Farmers’ markets] layout. There’s going to be live music and kids’ activities.
“It’s going to be on the oval at Erica, which is basically the centre of town, so what I’ve done on the poster is made a ‘things to do’ list which kind of entices people to come up and maybe see what else is around.
“There’s walking trails, you can go up to Walhalla. Walhalla is 15 to 20 minutes from Erica so there’s lots of things to do up there.
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“A lot of people think ‘oh, it’s too far away’ or they just haven’t been there in years, and it’s just so beautiful, the Mountain Rivers region.”
Other destinations mentioned on the poster include cafés, camping and fishing spots, walks and the Thomson Reservoir Dam. A scenic drive through the Mountain Rivers region, starting at Moe and finishing at Traralgon via a number of eastern Baw Baw towns, is also being promoted.
Ms Anderson said there were confirmed market stall bookings from many local artists already.
“We’ve been organising it for probably five months,” she said.
“We’ve got 50 market stalls, and because it’s on the oval – there’s a lot of space so we will still take on people if they want to apply.
“We’d like to make it have a bit of a festival feel, just a one-off Christmas/summertime market. It’s been a lot of work but it’s rewarding and it’s really exciting to see it all come through.
“Hopefully people will travel far to come.”
Small business support is stated as a key aim on the event’s social media accounts.
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“Our aim is to get our small local businesses known to the community. Being local business owners ourselves we realise just how hard it can be to get your name out there.”
But the market is not just about sales. The gold coin entry collection will be donated to the Erica Kindergarten.
You can find the market on Facebook by clicking here. Those planning to attend have been reminded there are no petrol stations or ATMs in Erica.
