Farmers Market season opens Friday, May 26, for the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (SCA). This weekly market features local growers and craftsmen from 9 a.m – 3 p.m every Friday starting May 26 and running until Sept. 29 in the SCA’s parking lot, located at 400 Culver St. Each Friday, more than 20 vendors set up tents  in the SCA’s parking lot. The vendors offer a variety of local produce as well as crafts such as jewelry, bags, photo art, and more. All of the goods are grown, produced, or created by the people selling them.

Visitors to the market are treated to free coffee from Uncommon Grounds and live music. New this year are guest vendors, who will be at the market once a month. Also new this year is the bi-weekly “Taste of the Market.” This event runs from 10 a.m. – noon every other market day and offers recipe ideas and samples created from products at the market.

All of these offerings are wrapped in a friendly small town feel. SCA  Farmers Market Manager Bill Galligan says “the best thing about the Market for me is the sense of community. Because we’re a small market, my vendors have more interaction with each other and are more supportive of each other than in the larger markets in the area. Hopefully that sense of community extends out to our visitors.”

This sense of community is a highlight for SCA Executive Director Kristin Armstrong as well. She says “the Market is a wonderful gathering place! You run into friends and neighbors, have a cup of coffee, and chat with vendors. You can really experience two of the truly special things about Saugatuck: our agricultural & arts traditions.”

For the third year in a row, the farmers market vendors will accept SNAP Cards and Double Bucks. These programs make the market affordable and give low-income families the opportunity to buy healthy food locally. The market is open rain or shine. For more information on this event please visit sc4a.org or call 269-857-2399.