Glimpse | What is That Thing? Farmers Market Gets an Informational Kiosk

Trevor Kupfer, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

What the what?! The kiosk, partially completed.
 
What the what?! The kiosk, partially completed.

You may have noticed recently that the Downtown Farmers Market has a wooden frame for some sort of booth. And maybe you imagined a wish-come-true Zoltar machine, a guess-your-weight carnie, or Dr. Who’s new time machine. But in fact, it’s an informational kiosk purchased by the farmers market and built by the parks and rec department. With a recycled roof from the electrical supply building (where the bathroom now is), the structure will soon contain glass-cased bulletin boards, said Phil Fieber, director of the Parks, Rec, and Forestry Department. On one side, there may be upcoming vendors and a schedule of events, another may contain a plaque for the pavilion contributors, and a third could have tourism info like nearby trails and restaurants. “The idea is that it’ll answer a lot of the common questions they get,” Fieber said, adding that this was in the original plans for the pavilion but they wanted the market to gain momentum first. Fieber also said that, at some point in the future, the spot will have an electronic booth with interactive video screens that give directions to various area hotspots, allow searching for events/businesses, and promote all manner of local attractions.