Bethel's Saturday Market

There is a long tradition in western culture of cities and large towns holding an open market on Saturdays where farmers and craftspeople gather to sell the products of their labors. Bethel has had a Saturday Market for several years now, and it is a delightful way to spend an hour or an afternoon.

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It is important to understand the context in which the Market exists. There is just not a whole lot to do for entertainment in Bethel on a Saturday afternoon. I’ve listed before on this blog all the things we don’t have that lower 48ers take so much for granted—no shopping mall, no movie theater, no bowling alley, no skating rink, no swimming pool, no highways to just go for a drive on, no amusement park, no gaming arcade, no tennis courts, no golf course (well. The die-hards go out to the sand pit and knock balls around, but it’s not what you could really call golf.).

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There are not even a lot of options for bicycling: one six-mile loop of partially paved road which is the major traffic artery around town. Not exactly a cyclist’s dream.

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So the Market fills a social need completely aside from the products available for sale: it is a place for people to gather and visit, and they do. Whole families come to spend a few hours.

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The Market is held inside the Cultural Center (which is nice when it is rainy, and it frequently is during the summer) on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month during the summer. In winter it drops to once a month, on the last Saturday, with additional Markets around the holidays. The hours are from 10 am to 3 pm. One of only three espresso stands currently operating in Bethel is also in the Cultural Center, so those with a penchant for fancy and expensive caffeine can get their fix when they go to Market as well (ummmmm, double tall skinny mocha no whip).

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One of the Saturday Market’s most important functions is that it provides one of the few local opportunities to buy hand-made Yupik crafts. Our regional craftspeople do not have many venues to sell their work; this is one of them. Dolls, baskets, carved ivory, and beaded jewelry are popular items, though on any given Saturday, not all different things are available. Many craftspeople only show up occasionally; some Markets have lots of vendors, and some are less well attended. You just never know, and if you are in search of some particular item it may take weeks to come across a vendor who has it.

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I have been in search of a particular thing for some time now. After my post on the Cama-i Dance Festival, in which I mentioned having found a small owl carved from ivory, a TMD reader wrote to me and asked if I could find him one. I’ve been searching ever since and have not yet come across another one, but I will. Hang in there Randall, I haven’t forgotten your request!

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In addition to crafts, there are usually vendors selling fresh vegetables from their gardens, live plants, tickets to various raffles, furs, leather, things made from wood, useful household items like long-handled dippers for the steambath, crocheted and knitted hats, gloves and blankets, dry fish, agutuk, fresh eggs, homemade soap, jam made from tundra berries, sometimes even collections of garage sale type items—books, records, clothes, pots and pans. Every Market is different, and even if you don’t think you need anything it is worth stopping by; you never know what you’ll come home with.

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And you’ll always run into people you know and can have a few minutes of enjoyable conversation with. Entertainment in Bethel is what we create for ourselves, and usually involves time spent with friends. It is one of the things that make Bethel such a special place.

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The photos for this post were taken by my friend Peter Ashman, who is an amazing photographer. He has a huge collection of photographs on Flickr; you can access his work and see more great photos of Alaska and other places from his travels by clicking here. Thanks, Peter!