Over 180 people registered to watch four comedians including Greg Schroder, Clint Gibbons and Melanie Paige at the Harrington Hall in Chapeau Saturday night. The event was organized by Marché de Chapeau and the Upper Pontiac Agricultural Society in order to raise money for a new farmers market building in Chapeau.

Marché de Chapeau started hosting farmer’s markets in 2021 on the former Chapeau fairgrounds and hopes to set up a permanent structure.

So far the project has received $151,000 from Economic Development Canada as well as funds from other sources, pushing the fundraising stage close to completion, according to Upper Pontiac Agricultural Society President, Gene O’Brien. However, due to the inflation related to cost of construction, they need to fundraise more before they can start building.

“We sort of did our estimates a number of years ago, so there are some extra costs that we have to either raise money for or keep going and getting grants,” said O’Brien.

The plan for a Chapeau Farmers Market has its origin in 2009 when the Upper Pontiac Agricultural Society was looking for ways to replace the Chapeau Fair, which was last held in 2009.

“It wasn’t economically feasible anymore. Because we were really dependent on the weather if we were going to be successful or not. So in 2009, we decided not to,” said O’Brien. “And then from that point, we were involved with studies with the municipality when they were doing their long-term action plan, involved with the MRC, with their 2020 vision, and so on, and so forth.”

In the effort to revamp the mission of the Upper Pontiac Agricultural Society, the group started a community garden in Chapeau, a project called Steps to the Market in coordination with CISSSO, the region’s public health authority.

The blueprint for the market building has been 99 per cent complete and designed with the help of Marché de Chapeau’s vendors, according to O’Brien. This means that the layout of the building is designed with both those who sell their products outdoors and indoors in mind.

The Marché de Chapeau still plans to do more fundraising in the future, with their next idea being an Elvis impersonator show, according to O’Brien.

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