After nearly 30 years the Huntsville Farmers Market has moved.
The weekly collection of vendors was a staple in the Canadian Tire parking lot on King William Street in Huntsville. It is now located at 407 Ravenscliffe Road – The fall fairgrounds.
With the expansion of the Canadian Tire store and reconfiguration of the garden centre, it simply was getting too crowded.
Sherry Leverdingen is the market manager and says the move to the Huntsville & District Agricultural Society Fairgrounds will allow growth and increase the number of vendors.
“We have lots of room for guest spots,” she says. There is more room for arts and crafts and even a wood fire pizza vendor.
At a recent Town of Huntsville development services meeting the conversation turned to selling eggs at the Farmer’s market, leading to questions of grading and other bylaws surrounding the rules of egg selling at a farmers market. Leverdingen confirms they will not be selling eggs at the market per a decision by the board.
“We were never selling eggs and we didn’t want to sell them,” she says.
Leverdingen says relocating the market will likely catch some seasonal residents and even locals off guard after such a long time in one place.
“We’ve been there 28 years,” she offers, before upselling the new location. “We have lots of room now and apparently the market started 31 years ago out at the fall fairgrounds.”
She said in recent years the market had shrunk in size to about 20 vendors but is already up to 27 with more to come. She says the new layout will be better for everyone.
“We can have our vehicles with us and out 10 x 10 spots and we can add on if we (want) to,” Leverdingen says. There will be wine sales available as well this year.
The Farmer’s Market runs each Thursday from 9:00am to 2:00pm between now and October 10th.