Day of Health at Broadway Market Friday

RaChaCha 1

While hopscotching among all the local markets last Saturday, we probably spent more of our time at the Broadway Market than anywhere else. We couldn't have asked for a better start for the holiday shopping season, or for the holidays in general. When Santa arrived by horse-drawn carriage and entered the market, we ended up first in line for a free carriage ride around the block. At the Corpus Christi shop (all items sold benefit the outstanding programs and historic restoration underway at that Polonia anchor parish), we were mesmerized by their Christmas window display. It includes oversized nativity figures which they brought out of storage, repaired, and returned to public display. And also moving figures from the old Santa's Workshop at Sibley's in downtown Rochester, which invoked a magical childhood Spirit of Christmas Past (my companion in Saturday's market adventure also grew up in Rochester).

Best of all were the vendors (some of whom are there specially for the holiday season) and all the friends of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood who were on hand to help the season get underway: Chris Byrd of Broadway-Fillmore Alive; Amanda Beale, the Market's WNY AmeriCorps service member; and Mark Lewandowski, along with several other dedicated folks working on the Central Terminal. It was also poignant knowing that preservationist and friend of the East Side, Michael Miller, would have also been part of the mix, had he not been taken from us way before his time.

Despite recent management changes, the Market is very much alive and healthy, and well worth making part of your holiday plans and shopping (check out the Holiday Food and Craft Fair the next several weekends). And speaking of health, the Market is hosting a Day of Health this Friday from Noon to 4PM. You can get free health screenings, sign up for health coverage, and more! Free flu shots will be offered by the Visiting Nursing Association from Noon to 2PM. Folks from HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) will also be on hand. More information is below.

And while you're at the Broadway Market, make it a point to stop by and talk with all the unique holiday vendors (many of whom offer samples), along with your favorite regulars. The Market has not only delightful holiday shopping, but also everything you need, week in and week out, to support a healthy eating lifestyle.