Jaunliepāja activist Ieva Balode-Ziemele surprised that evening market has become more popular than the beach in windy weather

Jaunliepāja association 'JaunLiepāja' leader Ieva Balode-Ziemele has received the 'Liepāja Woman of the Year' award, which surprised her as much as the fact that Liepāja residents prefer going to the evening market rather than to the beach even on sunny days. 'Truly unexpected!' she repeats, although the market's popularity isn't that surprising — if the choice is between the Baltic Sea's cold wind and warm homemade cookies, the choice is clear.

The association, which has existed since July 1st of last year, has organized all sorts of events — from neighborhood cleanups to 'Jaunliepāja's andele.' But what has conquered Liepāja residents' hearts the most is the evening market, which has proven: if you want to gather people, offer food. It works better than any other initiative, because even our beach with its windy and cold atmosphere even in summer can't compete with the aroma of hot pastries.

'We had no idea that the market's heartwarming atmosphere and delicious homemade products would be so well-loved,' says Ieva. Of course, not anticipating this in Liepāja is as naive as thinking you can sleep on the beach in summer without a windbreaker. As locals say: 'If there's warm food and you don't have to stand in the wind, Liepāja residents will be there!' They took over the market from other organizers because, as she says: 'It would have been foolish to refuse.' The same logic as why nobody goes swimming in the sea without a wetsuit.

Ieva admits that previously she only knew about non-governmental organizations that such things exist, but now understands — many people lack understanding of the NGO sector. 'Many think we're the municipality or a private company,' she explains. Which isn't that surprising, because in Liepāja any initiative that operates longer than a month is already considered a miracle.