Apples were among the produce offered for sale Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, at the Marion Farmers Market. The market moved to a new location this year in City Square Park. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Marion’s Farmers Market is in a new venue this year and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you have one more opportunity.
The last market of the season is this Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, from 8-11:30 a.m. at the depot in City Square Park, Seventh Avenue and 10th Street.
That’s right in the heart of the city, under the cover of the historic depot pavilion, with plenty of nearby parking (the library is right next door) in a lovely park setting.
Several varieties of granola were sold by Heart of my Home Granola at the Marion Farmers Market in City Square Park. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
What more could you ask for?
Several great vendors were selling at tonight’s market, including Kirkwood’s Sun Country Produce with perfect-looking tomatoes and Central City’s Buffalo Ridge Orchard, with flavorful apples (Sweet Sixteen is the owner’s favorite – even better than Honey Crisp!)
Heart of my Home Granola offered tasty samples and Jan Patterson of Needled by Jan worked on her craft at one of the tables inside the depot.
The only thing missing was a sizable crowd.
Jan Patterson of Needled by Jan works inside the depot pavilion in City Square Park during the farmers market in Marion, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A similar phenomenon happened at Greene Square Park in Cedar Rapids, an ideal setting for a farmers market, right in the heart of downtown. Without a good customer base, however, the vendors dropped out and the market eventually closed.
The vendors in Marion said they had seen better days and noted that markets tend to slow down at this time of year, as customers become busy with other activities.
Still, I hope this will serve as a reminder that many farmers markets remain open into October and if you want to keep your favorite vendors in business, stop on by.
If you’re not sure when your local market ends its season, see the Homegrown list for times, days, locations and other details on dozens of Eastern Iowa farmers markets.
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