2B — Thursday, November 19, 2015
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Farmer’s market is
worth the lost sleep
By CAROLINE FILIPS
Daily Arts Writer
On any given Saturday, there’s
a high chance I won’t be able to
drag myself out of bed before
noon. Last Friday night, despite
my
body’s
anticipated
extra
resting hours, I set my alarm
for 10 a.m. and changed the
beat of my circadian rhythm
in preparation for Kerrytown’s
well-attended weekend affair:
the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.
Yet,
by
seasoned
shopper
standards, I was late to the party.
According to market manager
Sarah DeWitt, a recognizable
crop of local epicureans and
Main Street chefs tend to arrive
at 7 a.m. sharp.
Along
with
beating
the
laggard crowd, the regulars
alternate between chatting with
farmers, inspecting produce and
carting away wholesome treats
in massive boxes and chef pans.
“There are fewer Ann Arbor
restaurants not stopping down
here,” DeWitt said.
Maggie Long, Jolly Pumpkin
chef and managing partner, is
always among the early birds
toting her handcart.
“She refuses to give up
market
mornings
because
she wants to keep that face
time, connection and sense of
community with the different
farmers,” said Chirs North,
Jolly Pumpkin floor manager.
For
nearly
a
century,
sustaining
a
sense
of
community among shoppers,
local businesses and farmers
has been the essence of the
market. A majority of the
veteran
vendors
are
either
second-
or
third-generation
farmers whose relatives began
selling at the original location
near Main Street in 1919. The
current market was erected
in the 1930s by the Works
Progress Administration and
is situated on Detroit St. in the
heart of Kerrytown.
Today,
the
market
is
“producers
only,”
meaning
all items for sale are made
or grown by vendors with no
resale. It’s stipulated within
the market rules that those
who sell products must grow
their items in Michigan or an
abutting state.
Accordingly,
nearly
all
vendors are within an hour
radius,
with
the
exception
of Donna Puehler, owner of
Grandma’s Kitchen in Ohio.
For three decades, Puehler
has been a beloved provider
of baked goods and eggs, and
simply known as “grandma” to
frequent market-goers.
At present, the market offers
the products of more than
60 produce and diversified
produce farmers — those who
sell
additional
items
such
as
greenhouse
flowering
plants along with fruits and
vegetables — 30 artisan vendors
and
a
few
specialty
food
vendors. Essentially, it’s the
one-stop shop for everything
from leather handbags to maple
syrup to the recent addition
of Fluffy Bottom Creamery’s
yogurts and cheeses.
“We aim to maintain a
variety,” DeWitt said. “We try
to cater to all product niches of
fresh, local foods.”
To
ensure
the
market’s
longstanding
mission
of
providing shoppers with locally
grown foods directly from the
source, each seller’s farmland
is routinely inspected.
“That’s a pretty particular
thing for our market that’s not
true of a lot of other farmers
markets,” DeWitt said. “It’s
something we’re particularly
proud of.”
As a Davis, Calif. native,
DeWitt frequented the city’s
local farmers market, and
has since remained a farmers
market enthusiast. She still
looks
to
her
hometown
marketplace for inspiration.
For instance, a few years ago
in the summertime, DeWitt
introduced the predominantly
Californian trend of food truck
rallies on Wednesday evenings.
The rallies offer an alternative
to
Ann
Arbor’s
brick-and-
mortar restaurant fare.
“We draw upon multiple
sources for inspiration, but for
me I think it always goes back
to Davis because I think those
things that stick with you as a
kid are what you remember as
adults,” DeWitt said.
As I sat on a bench just outside
the market with DeWitt, her
passion for the community was
palpable as she stopped to greet
each visitor whom she seemed
to know on a personal level.
After our chat I strolled
through the market, finding
myself unexpectedly taken by
rows of violet cabbage rosettes
and the last of growers peak-
season apples. I was instantly
convinced
that
the
Ann
Arbor Farmers Market is the
only
weekend
event
worth
sacrificing a few hours of sleep.
“We try to cater
to all product
niches of fresh,
local foods.”
TRAILER REVIEW
Unlike the terrible trailer for
“Insurgent,” the trailer for the
latest installment in “The Diver-
gent Series”
is, at least,
colorful. As it
begins, Tris
(Shailene
Woodley,
“The Fault in
Our Stars”),
Four (Theo
James,
“Golden
Boy”) and the
rest of their
team skirt
a desolate, computer-animated
countryside that resembles Mars.
It contrasts strikingly with the
antiseptic green of the ship where
they are rescued. It’s possible to
get wrapped up in the drive of the
trailer, to fall for its quickly build-
ing intensity and even some hints
of the story. One character men-
tions that the children of this new
colony have grown up surveilling
the main characters, a potentially
intriguing idea.
Then you tune in to the dialogue,
including such gems as “People
think walls separate us. But they
also protect us,” “They’re trying
to destroy us” and Jeff Daniels’s
predictable assurance that Tris
is “the only one” who can help
rebuild society. To understand-
ably cynical viewers, the mon-
tage of images featuring flying
spaceships, people running in
panic and scenes of Tris and
Four’s obligatory romance will
feel completely by-the-numbers.
“The Divergent Series:
Allegiant” is a terrible idea for
a movie to begin with — it’s
based only on the first half of
Veronica Roth’s YA book “Alle-
giant,” by far the most boring
half-book in the series — but if
it balances its shameless info-
dumps with thrilling action, it
could manage to at least be a
mindless, entertaining action
movie. At worst, it’s another
uninventive Y.A. adaptation
that will be forgotten quickly.
-BENJAMIN ROSENSTOCK
LIONSGATE
C+
The
Divergent
Series:
Allegiant
Lionsgate
Mar. 18, 2016
Media careers
explored at forum
Opportunites
abound for
entertainment
business paths
By MARIAM SHEIKH
Daily Style Editor
Some people enter college
knowing the exact path they
want to follow. Some of these
students — the cream of the crop
— make it into the University’s
School of Theatre, Music &
Dance — it’s simply a stepping
stone before they make it to the
big leagues on Broadway. Others
are those pacing the business-
oriented halls of Ross, destined
for Wall Street.
But what about those of us who
choose a less traditional path
— those of us whose passions
lie in somewhat of a gray area
— hidden away in the overlap
of arts and business? What
about those of us interested in
entertainment? This is where
things start to get complicated.
It
would
seem
that
the
University
offers
many
opportunities for networking
and career-oriented exploration
to the likes of engineers and
students in the Ross School
of Business, but the case can
even be made for LSA students
looking
to
go
down
more
common career paths.
But what about us artsy
folk? The ones who geek out
over 1970s jazz, or have an
obsession with the character
Ari Gold from “Entourage”? For
students who want to enter the
fields of entertainment, media
or even the careers in their
overlap, there are not many
resources
or
opportunities
on
campus
to
network
or
explore. We acknowledge that
the path is long, competitive
and unconventional, but the
opportunity to have a chance to
explore should still be there for
all students who want to avail it.
Each year, the Communication
Studies Department hosts an
Entertainment
and
Media
Career forum, which I had
the opportunity to attend on
Nov. 13. Featuring six alumni
from various sectors in the
entertainment
and
media
industries, all at different points
in their careers, students had the
opportunity to hear from each
one of them in presentations and
round-table discussions.
While the event is primarily
targeted toward upperclassman
looking
to
network
for
internships and potential job
opportunities, it was refreshing
to speak with students from all
ages and from various schools
within the University, who were
there to learn more about this
specialized field.
When I told my parents I
wanted to pursue a career in the
business side of the arts world,
specifically in entertainment,
they simply laughed and wished
me luck. This forum provided
ample opportunity to listen,
learn and question some of
the best in the field, extremely
helpful for those of us dealing
with a particularly exclusive and
seemingly mysterious industry.
This
stigma
surrounding
this crucial sector of the arts
almost deterred me from even
considering it as a viable life
choice at all — and that shouldn’t
be the case for anyone. But, if I
took away anything from the
stories the panelists at the EMC
forum shared, it’s that while this
career choice is unconventional
at best, with hard work the
choice will be worth it.
As I see my friends and
peers
around
me
accepting
high-paying offers to amazing
companies left and right, it’s
important to keep a level head
and remember to not be afraid
to start at the bottom, because
everyone needs to pay their
dues and start somewhere —
especially in entertainment.
Particularly, University alum
Ben Davis, who graduated in 2011
majoring in Communications
studies and is now a digital agent
at William Morris Endeavor—
IMG, discussed his time at
the prestigious talent agency
from his humble start in the
WME mailroom. In the digital
world where mail may not be
all that important, for WME
employees having experience
from the ground up is not only
crucial, but also necessary, for
employment. The mail room,
while not as glamorous as
people envision entertainment
to be, gave Davis a clear path
in, and the best way to learn
about how everything works at
WME, and in the entertainment
industry in general.
The
second
story
that
resonated with me from the
forum had a crucial moral,
while easy in theory it proves
difficult in practice. University
alum Amy Fleischman, a 2012
Communications
Studies
Most Ann Arbor
restaurants get
produce from
the market.
“We aim to
maintain variety
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Lawrence Shapiro(right) speaks at the communication studies Entertainment Media Career Forum at Rackham on Friday.
graduate and a casting assistant
at
DreamWorks
Animation,
shared her journey to where
she is now and stressed the
importance of making the most
of every and any opportunity
that comes your way.
Starting as a page in NBC’s
highly
competitive
page
program, Fleischman stepped
in when USA network’s then-
President of Production Jeff
Kirschenbaum
needed
an
assistant. While she may not
have been ready for this jump
from a page at that exact
moment, she took the challenge.
Because of her hard work and
dedication, she networked and
made the necessary connections
to get her to where she is today
at DreamWorks.
I think about all the times I
have shied away from challenge
because of this inherent fear of
failure. Choosing a career post-
college is hard enough as it is,
but it doesn’t get any easier when
you choose a field that doesn’t
have any guarantees. The arts
is a grueling and unpredictable
world, and the business side of it
is no better.
University alum Peter Jaysen,
class of 1989 and a film and
television producer at Veritas
Entertainment, feels like he
is just now hitting his stride.
After 20-plus years in the
industry, his past experiences
and hard work have begun to
catch up with him and he now
feels established and settled in
the industry. At one point he
described the entertainment
world as a country club of
sorts, and how he feels like he
is finally a full-time member as
opposed to just having a guest
pass.
While the road is long and
the path tricky, I couldn’t have
been more excited and affirmed
in my career choice just through
seeing the passion each one of
these accomplished graduates
had about the work they were
doing and all the work they had
done to get there.
We have the privilege of
attending a university with
one of the largest communities
of alumni in the world, who
have gone on into diverse fields
from
journalism,
politics,
engineering, to entertainment.
A forum such as this shouldn’t
be the only thing available for
students choosing to follow
their artistic passions. However,
it is one crucial step forward in
giving all of us entertainment
junkies a chance to learn — and
to learn from the best alumni
around.
It’s important
to keep a level
head and not to
be afraid.
My parents
laughed and
wished me luck.
The arts is a
grueling world.