6 hours ago
Park Ridge farmers market opens for its last run on Prairie Avenue. New location expected next year.
The Park Ridge farmers market season has kicked off, this year with dozens of weekly vendors, others who will make guest appearances and some who will be part-time sellers, officials say, with the marketing set to run until fall.
'It's amazing, we had a great kickoff,' Steph Goodrich, the market master and committee chair said about the May 24 opening weekend. 'It was probably our biggest market.'
Organizers say the longtime market is doing better than ever. While crowds usually top out around 1,500, Goodrich estimates it's been closer to 2,000 people in May.
'That was probably our best-attended market,' Goodrich said of the season's kickoff Memorial Day weekend.
This is the last year the market will be held at its current location, 15 Prairie Ave., near the former AT&T building. The open-air market started in the parking lot there in 1991 and since then, it has taken over the whole block of Prairie Avenue from Main Street to Garden Street.
This year, the new owners of the AT&T building let the city and farmers market organizers know they have future plans for the lot. Organizers expect to be busy looking for a new space that's both big and comfortable enough to host thousands of people and dozens of vendors.
So far, nothing has been decided, and so far, Goodrich said there is no real sense of urgency about securing a new farmers market home.
'We're being thoughtful in our discussions,' she said.
In the meantime, the focus is on this year's offerings. Visitors can walk down aisles of vendors who are selling everything from coffee and pastries to tamales, potted plants and, in one tent, handmade wooden cutting boards and pizza peels. There are also offerings of sugar peas, radishes, berries and spring greens.
'We have a good variety and a selection of different farmers and vendors that people enjoy,' said Goodrich.
For many sellers, this market is an annual tradition. Josh Beeching, a manager for Barry's Berries out of Michigan, said he's been selling at the market for six years.
'There's great people here,' Beeching said, working alongside his daughter, 11, and her cousin, 13.
He said the Saturday market is a great way to spend time with his family. On a recent Saturday the family was selling apples, strawberries and blueberries. But Beeching said as the summer wears on, he'll have more produce, including peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums. He looks forward to the crowds.
'There's a lot of friendly people here,' he said.
Market organizers say it's the community that draws the vendors and keeps them selling in Park Ridge.
'The community is what keeps them coming back,' Goodrich said.
It's still a bit early for a lot of popular vegetables and fruits, but Karen Grunschel, a member of the city's Farmers Market Committee, said visitors can expect all of that in the coming months.
'Corn starts in late July and goes through September,' she said, adding there is talk of having corn roasts later in the year.
Wherever the market eventually moves, Shannon Halt says she will be there. Halt, who technically lives in Chicago, said she never misses a Park Ridge market.
'We come every Saturday,' Halt said. She explained it's one of the bigger markets and she appreciates the weekend tradition. 'It's such a great way to start the day.'
