The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will begin its indoor, winter season at Lincoln Baths in Saratoga Spa State Park on Saturday, November 1 (hours 9-1). Expanded parking will be available this year, to accommodate the growing popularity of this market. The street address is 65 South Broadway in Saratoga Springs, conveniently accessible from downtown or via Exit 13 of “The Northway” (I-87).
The market is planning several special features that day:
- – A ribbon-cutting just prior to the market’s opening bell at 9 a.m., with Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen and other community officials, as well as vendors and customers, invited to gather on the front steps of the Lincoln Baths
- – An “Early Bird Special” where the first 100 parties to pick up a specially-marked bag at the Lincoln Baths welcome table (main entrance, anytime after 8:30 a.m.) will be able to collect special giveaways, coupons, or other items from vendors throughout the market
- – Discounts on market logo merchandise (aprons, cookbooks, other items) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- – Gift basket drawings (no cost to enter) at 12:30 p.m.
- – Last-Hour Specials (to be announced on-site between noon and 1 p.m.)
- – Live music by Running the River
Each year on Saturdays from November through April, the market hosts farms and vendors selling a full range of locally grown and produced items. This year, approximately 40 vendors will fill two floors of the building to sell vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, baked goods, prepared foods, jam, honey, maple syrup, wine, soap, wool, flowers, and holiday greens.
New vendors at the market will include:
- – Blind Buck Farm, Salem (wool)
- – Northern Star Vineyard, Valley Falls (wine)
“This site at the state park is an excellent location for our winter-season market. It’s in a historic building in a beautiful outdoor recreation setting, and it gives us enough space to feature a diverse selection. Even in the coldest months, we are able to carry products like leafy greens that our farmers grow all winter long in climate-controlled high-tunnels and greenhouses,” notes Charles Holub, president of Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association.
The building is handicap-accessible, with an elevator providing access to the second floor, as well as staircases. While leashed dogs are welcome on the outdoor grounds of the State Park, they cannot be brought into the Lincoln Baths building unless they are service dogs.
According to park documents, the original Lincoln Bathhouse was built in 1915 and expanded in the early 1920s. The structure subsequently was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1928-1930. It had various periods of inactivity during its history, underwent extensive renovations in 1989, and most recently ceased operation in 2003. Presently, sections of the Lincoln Bathhouse are used to house the regional park police offices and offices of the court system.
