The Polson mayor attempted to “provoke a thought” for the Polson Farmers Market to consider moving on Oct. 28 during a meeting in the community room of the North Lake County Public Library.  

Mayor Eric Huffine called it his “one last hurrah” as mayor to pitch an idea to relocate the Farmers Market to Salish Point and down to the unused right-of-way, which the Lake County Leader reported on last week. The Polson City administration contacted the Polson Farmers Market to discuss their event and a new location for 2026 after the farmers market season.  

“What I'm here to do today is to try and provoke a thought, because it's been kind of my dream and vision, maybe since I was 14 or 15, and I want you guys to think about it,” Huffine said. “What do you guys think about a Salish Point Market?” 

Huffine suggested the market, currently located on Third Ave. West, could move to the streets north of the library, not down to the actual waterfront of Salish Point. He continued his sales pitch explaining that it’s just across the highway from their current location, it has stoplight access, decent parking and the area is zoned as the Central Business District. 

“You could have one of the most beautiful markets in the Pacific Northwest,” Huffine said.  

Local homeowner Mark Johnston said that parking is already an issue near his home. So, he doesn’t see how moving the Farmers Market to Salish Point would allow for more parking.  

With wider streets, Huffine suggested the market could spread out and grow. While the new location would block the ability of a handful of residents to access their homes, he explained they could allow local traffic through.  

Huffine said the city has left over money from the Tax Increment Finance district to possibly redo the pavement, build restrooms or add a board walk down the Kootenai Avenue Right-of-Way.  

“There's an amazing view, right? I mean, the debate’s over, right?” Huffine said. “I understand you guys don't want to move the market. All I'm talking about is moving it to a place that maybe could enhance the market, enhance our community, and bring more activity and liveliness down here.”  

Before he could get too far into his pitch, questions spiraled towards him from both local downtown business owners, who voiced concerns over lost profit if the market moves, and vendors, who raised concerns about patrons finding them if they relocated.  

The Lake County Leader reported that about 40 people gathered at the Aug. 4 Polson City Commission Meeting to express their opposition to moving the market.  

The market was initially moved to Riverside Park this spring due to road construction and then moved back to its current spot. The Leader reported that the commissioners had discussed other possible locations, which included Salish Point.  

The gathering of about 20 people at the community room last week involved a collection of Farmers Market vendors, downtown business owners, one city commissioner, and a couple of city employees.

The conversation shifts 

Market vendor Gino Caselli, co-owner of Mrs. Wonderful's Café, asked at the meeting, “What’s wrong with the current location?”

Huffine responded by saying “absolutely nothing,” but he and city employees later brought up complaints and safety concerns regarding their current location.  

“Why aren't we trying to present an idea that keeps us where we're at? Why isn't that happening? Because you've got all these people who signed petitions and all the customers who come down,” said Mary Frances Caselli, co-owner of Mrs. Wonderful’s.  

Ed Meece, the city manager of Polson, explained that he and recreation coordinator Alisa Reed had fielded some "safety issues” and complaints about the current location.

Meece said they have received complaints about the number of people crossing the street during market hours, and the lane between market tents getting too narrow, which would impede the fire department's response in case of emergency. Huffine later explained that bathroom complaints are likely the biggest issue. 

In response to those concerns, Meece explained that he approached Reed and asked if they “could approach the Farmers Market.”  

“So that's where it started. It was just a request to have a conversation,” Meece said. “And from there, it became something completely different. And it took on a whole new character.”  

“How many safety problems did we have in 17 years? How many people were hurt in 17 years?” asked Mary Frances Caselli.

“Whether you want to hear or not, it's really not our job to wait for there to be a problem. It's our job to see before there's a problem, and then try and work through things,” Meece said. “And so, that's what we did, we asked for a conversation.”  

Meece acknowledged that maybe there was a “breakdown in communication” and the city will own any part of that. But he said last week’s meeting was organized for the mayor to present this idea, which he said the mayor and he had a lot of good discussions about.  

“But at no point has the city said to anybody, we're going to make you move. We're going to force this,” Meece said. “That's never been part of our goal. Now there may be folks that perceived it that way. I apologize for that, but that's never been about what we were about.”  

However, Farmers Market master Linda Sheridan raised concern about the city’s power to move them and explained that a previous city employee moved them to their current location due to safety concerns.  

The city’s response was that the employee no longer works for them.  

The conversation quickly looped back to the original communication that was given to the Farmers Market, which stated “we'll be sending you another update later this summer with further information regarding a potential new location for 2026.”

Sheridan explained that to her this meant they wanted to move the market, but city officials reiterated that they just wanted to have a conversation.

Crossing the street  

The conversation jumped back and forth over whether people would even cross Hwy. 93 to a possible new location. Local businesses downtown and farmer market vendors explained that the losses they experienced while moving to Riverside Park during street construction were devastating.  

Huffine said the amount of support the market has had on social media over just this potential move indicates they would have no issue communicating their new location to patrons.  

“There's two sides to every story, always, right? And you guys have done a great job of vocalizing your side,” Huffine said.  

Ultimately, the idea was shot down, and Huffine said he understands that it’s hard to take a risk when you know what you have. He said he knew this was going to be a hard sell but thinks it is a viable option and a piece of property that is being underutilized.  

Huffine points out again that this was just his last hurrah as mayor, but Joe Arnold, the owner of Flathead Lake Cheese, asked what’s to stop the city or the future mayor from moving them. Huffine said from his four years as mayor he has seen the market generate the greatest support, so he can’t see it going anywhere. However, Huffine said he can’t guarantee it won’t be brought up again by a future mayor or city commission. 

The mayor originally had planned to take the collective out for a tour of the proposed location, but said it was irrelevant since the market wasn’t moving. The group still decided to go for a tour, and one pointed out that a single gust of wind could knock them into the lake.  

Johnston, who lives on Salish Point, explained that it’s the windiest place in town. He estimates it blows 15 to 20 miles an hour every morning. 

“I wouldn’t want to put up a tent any morning,” Johnston said.  

Before the group headed out, they decided there needs to be a clear line of communication between both parties as they navigate the issues the city brought to their attention.  

    Polson mayor Eric Huffine takes the group of Polson Farmers Market vendors down to the new location he pitched on Oct. 28. (Emily Messer/Leader)