Despite being cancelled in April due to wet weather, the Railway Museum Artisan Market is set to go ahead for this month, falling on Sunday the 28th of May, commencing at 10 am and wrapping up around 2 pm. Entry to both the markets and museum will be free, with all funds derived from the market stalls to be used for upgrades and maintenance of the museum. Museum volunteer and organiser, Samantha Mernagh, discussed what to expect, sharing information on the stalls, attractions, and what museum volunteers hope to bring to the Yass community.
“We really focus on artisan pieces, nothing mass-produced” is perhaps the best way Samantha could have described the venues available; everything present will be locally produced items, all requiring time, effort, craft, and talent. The range of venues will be broad, ranging from the edible end of items such as honey, chillis and hot sauces, jams, preserves, baked goods, and Mediterranean bread produced from Canberra, to the craft side with items such as crochet, knitted goods, and art pieces. Practical items such as leatherwork are also expected to be present, handy for those living on the land in need of sturdy, reliable gear. Historic motorbikes are expected to be present, with a possible appearance from the Rural Fire Service, who were scheduled to appear in the April market before its cancellation.
“We have a really good variety,’’ aptly summarised Samantha.
On the community front, local organisations and community groups are welcome to make an appearance with those interested encouraged to reach out.
“We’re pretty keen to engage with not just the wider community but other community groups too,” said Samantha.
Previous markets have included community groups presenting items such as local wool spinners, historic military vehicles, and more recently the Yass Mens Shed, which reportedly found and recruited new members as a result of their presence and involvement. Any community groups hoping to make themselves known to the broader community are encouraged to attend;
“It’s a way for us to engage with other community groups,’’ continued Samantha. ‘We invite other community groups to come show off their pieces and for them to recruit new members.’’
Samantha hopes the market will help establish bonds between the Railway Museum and the wider community, both in introducing the museum to those who were previously unfamiliar but also presenting the beautiful Railway Museum grounds.
“It’s a way of promoting Yass and the museum to local communities, and about diversifying the use of the space, we have a really big beautiful yard and we want people to come and visit it,’’ she said.
‘’The people who come and say ‘I’ve lived my whole life in Yass and I’ve never been here’ is quite large, so it’s really nice to show off the grounds to people.”
Regarding sharing the land space and presenting the museum to Yass residents, Samantha and the Railway Museum volunteer staff would like to thank the community for their interest, both in the coming market and previous markets.
“We’d really like to thank the community for their ongoing support”
As the third artisan market, this May’s market continues the Railway Museum’s market calendar, with the last months being the intended third before its cancellation. However, the markets will cease for three months after, due to wintry conditions deemed not suitable for outside markets, returning with warmer weather.
Griffin Palen
