Kelly Dykstra is reinventing farmers' markets and community events in Cedar Lake and the Region. In addition to being the coordinator for the Cedar Lake farmers' market, Dykstra also runs other markets, owns a salon, and is a wellness educator. Although these are vastly different occupations and passions, Dykstra has one common goal: helping others.
The Cedar Lake farmers' market is held every second and fourth Wednesday of the month starting in May and ending in October. The market has over 140 booths to shop from and features attractions like live music, food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, and more. The market is held on the lakefront of Cedar Lake which offers great scenery and atmosphere for those who attend. In the winter, the Cedar Lake farmers market transitions to an indoor event from November to December at Cedar Lake Ministries.
Dykstra’s vision for a farmers' market in Cedar Lake started with a phone call in 2019 which eventually led to the success of the market just two years later.
“I just actually called the town of Cedar Lake and asked if they had a farmers' market and explained to them some research that I had been doing about different ones in the area. I wanted to be a participant in a farmers' market with my wellness business and I ended up giving them some ideas. About 20 minutes later I got a phone call back from them and they were like, ‘Hey, you know those ideas you were telling us? Would you want to come and do a farmers' market like that in our town?’” Dykstra said. “And I was like, ‘What? You don’t even know me I could be like a crazy person!’” Dykstra exclaimed.
Although she had initial doubts, Dykstra put out a message on Facebook asking if anyone would be interested in participating in a farmers' market. The message paid off and in the first week the Cedar Lake farmers' market had 24 booths, and by the end of the season, they doubled in size to 50 booths at the end of the 2019 season.
After the first year, it would have been easy for the farmers' market to get derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite more challenges and doubts, the Cedar Lake farmers' market again doubled in size to 100 booths at the end of 2020. With the success and traction gained even through the pandemic, Dykstra didn’t let up and pushed the market to the limit in 2021.
“This year for the season, we started out going as big as we could go with the land space that we have and we’ve been averaging 140 booths per week for 2021,” Dykstra said.
Dykstra’s farmers' market has grown enough to begin gaining the attention of other events throughout the Region. The Cedar Lake farmers' market has been able to spread out into the community and take her market to other locations. Dykstra was contacted by the South Lake County Agricultural Historical Society and the Northern Indiana Historical Power Association (NIPHA) to help with their shows.
“They do a tractor show that’s been more geared towards men and older men, and they wanted to see if I could come help it be more geared towards families, women, and children. So, we came in and we brought the ponies and we brought different food trucks and vendors that they can shop from. We were able to more than double their ticket sales, and then NIPHA heard about that and asked if we would do the same for them,” Dykstra said.
Dykstra loves the opportunity to engage with the community and help small businesses in the area. The Cedar Lake farmers' market isn’t just a market to Dykstra, it’s a way to bring everyone together.
“You can get your produce, but you can also do all these other things, you know? We tried to make it something that would be a fun thing as well as just building community. I’m a person that just loves community and bringing people together. It’s a really cool gift that the Lord has blessed me with and I’m able to use it in different ways,” Dykstra said.
The Cedar Lake farmers' market is such a great event for the community, but it wouldn’t exist without Dykstra’s passion for health and wellness. For almost eight years, Dykstra has been educating people on essential oils, supplements, and other plant-based items to boost immunity naturally without needing to rely on prescriptions. Dykstra holds classes on how to make personal care items such as bath bombs, lip balm, and elderberry syrup. Dykstra has been able to reach and help thousands of people through her wellness classes but has since passed the torch to her friend, Melissa, so that she can focus more on the farmers market and helping small businesses in the area.
Moving forward, Dykstra knows that the Cedar Lake farmers market can’t grow much more, but she can always increase the reach the market has in the area. One of the ways she is planning on reaching more people is by continuing to support other events and shows in the area, as well as offering marketing and advertising help to those in need.
“I think that I’ve found my niche and I know how to help people, and I find a lot of joy when I see something being made from nothing,” Dykstra said. “I really do have a passion for small business. I teach social media classes to the people that are a part of our events to teach them how to market events. That is also a requirement that we have when they join our marketing. We come alongside them and help them with that.”
It’s safe to say that Kelly Dykstra is making a huge impact in Northwest Indiana and bringing the community along with her. Great people and great events are part of what make the Region so great, and the Cedar Lake community benefits greatly from Dykstra’s passion and mission of bringing people together.
The very last outdoor market of the fall season was held on 10/26 starting at 3 PM. Indoor markets at Cedar Lake Ministries will be held on the following dates: Nov. 13, 3 – 8 PM; Nov. 20, 10 – 3 PM; Dec. 17, 3- 8 PM; Dec. 18, 10 – 3 PM.