Main Street Farmers Market to begin again Thursday

Brad Hundt
Observer Reporter

When the Main Street Farmers Market started in Washington in 2004, there were certainly a few skeptics who believed it was going to be one of those initiatives to revive the city’s downtown that would peter out after a year or two.

A decade-and-a-half later, the skeptics have decisively been proven wrong. The Main Street Farmers Market will be launching its latest season of selling produce and plenty more starting today at 3 p.m. at the Main Street Pavilion.

It’s endured “because we’ve had so much continuing support,” according to Suzanne Ewing, who organizes the market every year. “People wanted a place to come to see their friends and buy some good produce.”

Because SNAP benefits are accepted at the Farmers Market, it is welcoming for all visitors, Ewing added.

New this year to the farmers market are Joshua and Lynn Bandel of Eighty Four, who will be offering baby greens, Asian sweet potatoes and more. Starting in June, Heritage Craft Butchers of Marianna will be at the farmers market, and Hepinger’s Legacy Tavern on Washington’s Main Street will be on hand offering hamburgers and other delicacies.

Musicians will be at the farmers market for the next five months, with Washington High School’s steel band scheduled to perform today. Also, parking is free on downtown streets when the farmers market is happening.

The farmers market will happen every Thursday through Oct. 31, and that includes July 4, which falls on a Thursday. Ewing explained that special activities are planned to celebrate the holiday.

Additional information is available online at msfm.org.