Illinois’ longest running farmers market returns to Aurora this weekend for its 111th season with a collection of established and new vendors along with some special attractions that will be featured throughout the season, organizers said.
The market will be offered from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 14 at 65 Water St. in downtown Aurora, where it has been held since moving from its former site along Broadway near the Aurora Transportation Center five years ago.
That move led to scaling down the market from as many as 100 vendors to its current size, which continues to hover around 40.
Farmers Market Manager Karla Thomas said the current number represents the sweet spot in terms of space and the variety of vendors the market seeks to offer.
“We’ll have a little over 40 vendors and that is a good sweet spot for us,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of our regulars back but we also picked up quite a few new vendors this year, maybe 20% to 30% new vendors, which is probably a higher percentage of new ones than we have had in the past.”
Thomas said the increase in new vendors reflects wanting to keep the market fresh as well as a strong number of solicitations from newcomers hoping to join the event.
“I’d say it’s a little of both. We want to broaden the market and we’ve also had a lot of requests,” Thomas said. “There has been a lot of interest coming in from different businesses who are starting and we have an increase of artisan vendors looking to come in.”
Thomas noted there are a growing number of markets in the area but doesn’t think the market is oversaturated at this point.
“People like shopping outside. I love to go to other markets myself and check them out and I just think people like to have something to do on different days of the week,” she said. “If there is a variety and there’s something you want and a market is available that day you go to it. The longstanding history we have here, people have been coming to this market no matter what. There are the hard-core farmers market patrons that come every week and that’s going to continue.”
Thomas said the Aurora Public Library will be returning with programs at the downtown Aurora Farmers Market as well as a children’s entertainer known as Miss Jamie.
“There will also be fitness classes on Saturdays that will be posted on social media throughout the summer on different dates that will include yoga, kettlebell and other exercise classes,” she said.
Felicia Freitag of Aurora, who has been volunteering with the market the past two years, will be taking over as the manager of the market as summer moves on. She noted there will also be two midweek farmers markets this year on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Aurora.
“We’ll be having one on Thursdays at West Plaza midday and then on Wednesdays, we’re doing a music and market where we’ll have live music from 5 to 8 p.m. on Stolp Avenue … and also have arts and vendors and a couple of farmers,” she said. “We’ll be closing the street down and working with Aurora Downtown (group).”
Midweek markets will run from 5 to 8 p,m. July 12 to Aug. 16 for the Wednesday market on South Stolp Avenue between Downer Place and Galena Boulevard, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 13 to Aug. 17 at West Plaza, 1901 Galena Blvd., for the Thursday market.
The Wednesday market will include 20 to 30 vendors including one food vendor, Theis Farm Market, that has been a longstanding participant at the Saturday market. They will leave that market and now be available at the Wednesday venue.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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