Glen Hartle

Clarendon August 4, 2023

Kendal Lang hosted her first Vendor Market in the Sunflowers on August 4, and to call it a success would be an understatement.

More than a dozen vendors presented goods ranging from raffle tickets to farm-fresh eggs, freeze-dried goods to bird-houses, farm-fresh produce to muffins, home-made soap to hand-crafted knits and, certainly not least of all, sunflowers.

Patrons came from far and wide, with a broad swath of cottagers and locals. There were even day-trippers from the bright lights of the city.

Kendal, with the help of dad Ralph and mom Melanie, put together a wonderfully poetic event with an iconic backdrop of acres upon acres of sunflowers in bloom or on the verge. Scattered amongst the tall yellow orbs were additional Pinterest-style points of curiosity including a very large swing-set, stacked bales of straw, sign-posts galore, an old washtub filled with sunflowers seeds ready to act as a sandbox and even an old rusted tractor from an era long gone and yet dearly remembered. A well-manicured path provided access not only to all of the points of interest but also led visitors out into the midst where they could luxuriate in a beauty-laden Pontiac sunset.

Idyllic? Pretty much.

Everywhere one looked there was evidence of joy: vendors laughing and engaging with customers, visitors strolling with frequent stops for photographs, giggling families emerging from the forest of sunflowers and, Kendal, radiating the energy she brought to the event and the energy that it brought in return.