Farmers' Market

The Farmers' Market was roughly organized as depicted above. There were several rows of fresh produce, a section dedicated to pottery, jewelry, and art, a section for politics, and a section of pastries and drinks. Scattered throughout the market were musical groups, ranging from one person to five or six people. The music tended to be indy rock or bluegrass, however, there was one two-person group playing African tribal drums. There were a lot of children playing in the fountain and playing with the tribal drums. Many people sat around the tables or on walls, enjoying a pastry or drink while listening to the drums. The other music groups had small gatherings of people who would listen for a little while then move on to the next group. People crowded the rows almost everywhere except the political action row, which had only a trickle of people. About half of the shoppers came to buy fresh produce or handmade crafts while the other half came to buy  a pastry and enjoy the music and the atmosphere of the market.
The Farmers' Market parallels the participatory form of music in that everyone is expected to play a role in the market. The farmers and artists bring their products, the musicians perform, and the shoppers mingle and shop and enjoy the huge gathering of people. All are necessary for the success of the farmers' market. The farmers' market also allows for the exchange of experiences. The consumers learn from the farmers where their food comes from and how it is grown, and the farmers can compare technique with one another. The same sort of exchange of experiences and techniques occurs with the artists and musicians. One man I interviewed described the feeling of the farmers' market as "instant comradery": everyone is open and friendly. The point of the farmers' market is to socialize, meet new people, and share experiences with other people in the community. Therefore, the farmers' market is the equivalent of participatory music because the main goal is social bonding, as opposed to a grocery store (the equivalent of high fidelity music) where the goal is only the sale of products.