Shoppers waited eagerly at Saltonstall Park to get their hands on fresh produce, baked goods, crepes, fish, meat and more on Wednesday afternoon. With the ring of a bell by City Manager George Proakis, the Watertown Farmers Market’s 2024 season opened.
This year marks the 11th for the Watertown Farmers Market.
“I want to welcome you to another season of the Watertown Farmers Market,” Proakis said. “I’m thrilled to have you here today, where once again we have the opportunity for some great fresh food and to support our local businesses and local farms, and have the opportunity to come shopping out here every Wednesday afternoon at Saltonstall Park.”
The first day of the market featured 17 vendors, including three farms selling fresh vegetables, fruits, and plants. Through the course of the season, nearly 40 vendors will appear at the market, said Stephanie Venizelos, they City of Watertown’s Community Wellness Program Manager and Farmers Market Manager.
“We have weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly vendors, and some occasional guests,” Venizelos said. “We have six new vendors.”
Market days feature more than just food vendors.
“We’ll have a weekly artisan, weekly music, weekly community booth, weekly sustainability booth, and every other week we’ll have a Watertown Business Coalition member table,” Venizelos said.
To celebrate the opening day, the Watertown Recreation Department provided lawn games, and Get Lively: Health & Fitness’ Jan Taylor ran a free workshop.
More special events are planned through the season, Venizelos said, including WIC Distribution & Food Access Resources, National Farmers’ Market Week, Bike Fest & Free Bike Checks, Community Connect, and Fall Fest.
The home of the Farmers Market, Saltonstall Park, is scheduled to be renovated, but that won’t likely impact the 2024 season.
“We escaped the construction this year,” Venizelos said. “Hopefully, it will be starting after the season, and the park — if not completely done (next year) — enough will be done where we can work around it.”
The Farmers Market runs Wednesdays from June 12 to October 23, 2024, 2:30-6:30 p.m. (closes at 6 p.m. in October) at Saltonstall Park (corner of Main Street & Whites Avenue –
next to City Hall, 149 Main St.). Find out more about the Watertown Farmers Market by clicking here.