Local farmers markets begin opening up for a busy summer
Summer is here and, along with warmer weather, comes farmers markets. Many have already opened for the season while others will be starting up soon.
Over the last few years, farmers markets have become even more popular and several have seen record attendance. During the pandemic, the outdoor markets became a good alternative to grocery stores for people who wanted to avoid busy, indoor crowds and support local businesses.
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“We really had no idea quite how COVID was going to affect the farmers market at first,” said Harbor Springs Market Master Hannah Bianchi. “It was interesting being forced to take those precautions. It made us learn some things and make some changes that we otherwise probably never would have and I think it made the market better and it also grew. I think it grew our customer base.”
Bianchi said that this year, the Harbor Springs Farmers’ Market will be accepting food assistance programs. Starting in mid-June, the market will be accepting payment through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Electronic Benefit Transfer cards and WIC Project Fresh.
Through SNAP, a customer can get fresh produce, as well as packaged food like jam or honey, but the program does not cover hot, ready to eat meals.
The Harbor Springs market will have 40 full time vendors, as well as a guest of the market program where, once a month, a local business, organization, artist or author can set up a booth at the market.
The market also has a Young Entrepreneur program where local kids ages five to 18 are eligible once per month to sell products at a table provided for them by the market.
The Harbor Springs Farmers’ Market opened on Saturday, May 28 and will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 15. From June 1 to Aug. 31, the market will be open on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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At its new location at the Friendship Center on Anderson Road in Petoskey, the Old Town Emmet Farm Market will host a plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 4.
The market will officially open on June 18 and will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until Oct. 1.
About 15 vendors will be participating in the market, although not all will be there every week. Market manager Dorothy Mills said attendees can expect 10-12 vendors every week.
Most of the goods sold will be food like produce or baked goods, but there will be some crafters at the market as well.
“We're hoping to resume our food truck rally on the weekend of Labor Day. We're still working on getting music,” Mills said. “We're still going to be a smaller market than some of the other ones around but we will have a lot of fruits and vegetables, some craft items, some artwork, it will just be a lot of different things, but all homemade.”
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The Petoskey Farmers' Market opened Friday, May 27 on Howard Street and will be open 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday until Sept. 30.
“I am excited to see the early season variety of produce and goods the vendors will be bringing,” said Emily Stuchell, events and program coordinator for the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce in a May 24 press release.
The market will include special programs like kids' day and seniors' day, as well as others.
Like the Harbor Springs Farmers' Market, the Petoskey market participates in food assistance programs like SNAP/Bridge cards, Double Up Food Bucks, Senior and WIC Project Fresh and Prescription for produce.
In Charlevoix, the farmers market will be open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday from May 19 to Oct. 6 on Bridge Street with 39 vendors selling food, baked goods and hand-crafted items.
According to market manager Beth Anzell, this year, the market is working with Blissfest to coordinate music for each market day. In addition to vendors and music, there will also be kids events planned with the Charlevoix Public Library and July 14 will be kids' day, where kids will be doing special activities in the park during the market.
Another addition to the market this year will be cooking demonstrations put on by the Health Department of Northwest Michigan using ingredients from market vendors. For anyone interested in recreating the demonstration, there will be recipe cards available.
“We are really setting ourselves up for a great season. The pandemic has closed down for the last couple of years, so we really haven't been able to branch out and do our special events like we have in the past,” Anzell said. “So everyone's very excited about getting back to those kids' day, Senior Day, Veterans Day and the cooking demos. So, we're just gearing up for a really good season and everyone's excited about it. We're very anxious to get the summer going.”
The Cheboygan Farmers’ Market had its first day of its outdoor market on Saturday, May 28 and will go until October. It is located at Festival Square Pavilion on Main Street and open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and Saturday.
According to market manager Travis Neuman, the opening weekend had 14 farm vendors, 14 craft vendors, four service organizations and live music. A full list of vendors can be found on the market website.
Food vendors are selling spring produce, honey, maple syrup, eggs, meat and mushrooms. While non-food vendors include cottage food bakers, tool and knife sharpening, wood carvers, soap makers, a coffee roaster, spice rubs and a massage therapist.
“It seems like more and more people are flooding to the campgrounds and more recreational, outdoor type things. It's hard to put your finger on why, but it seems like people are looking to spend some more time outside, especially after the lockdown. And I think it's just becoming a habit,” Neuman said. “Last year, we saw an increase in demand and increase in the attendees. I'm actually a vendor at the market, I sell fresh roasted coffee and without having to do much, I've seen a steady increase from year-to-year and this year I'm expecting, peak of the season I'll be averaging like 85 pounds of coffee a week.”
The Cheboygan market will also be partnering with Blissfest this year to arrange live music to play during market hours for three weeks in June, July and August. The fourth week will feature artists local to Cheboygan.
In addition to its partnership with Blissfest, the market will work with local businesses. Creation Station will be setting up a kids activity on Wednesdays for two hours so local kids can do a project every week.
Other markets in Northern Michigan include the Boyne City Farmers’ Market, which will be open 8 a.m. to noon every Wednesday and Saturday from Saturday, May 14 through mid-October in Veterans Park.
The market will host a food truck rally from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.
The Sault Ste. Marie Farmers’ Market opened on Wednesday, May 25 and will be open 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Oct. 12 in Market Square at the corner of Ashmun Street and Portage Avenue.
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The Gaylord Farmers’ Market opened on May 28 at the Pavilion on Court Avenue with about 20 vendors. It will operate from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays until October and will start operating on Wednesdays later in the season.
The East Jordan Farmers’ Market will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 12 to Oct. 28 every Thursday on Bridge Street.
Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Northern Michigan farmers markets expecting busy summer season
