By Julia Howard, Market Administrator
photo courtesy of Pattie GarrettAs our clocks fall back and our days become shorter, it’s time for another seasonal transition. Tomorrow, our farmers and other vendors will kick off the winter season for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market by moving indoors to the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park.
We look forward to our winter locale. Being indoors gives us a cozier space. It also creates an opportunity to host special events that showcase our region’s fresh foods and local artisanal products.
This winter season marks our 40th year of operation as a farmers’ market. Opening day kicks off at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting. We’ll feature music by Running the River, a series of special guests and community tables, and a free children’s activity hosted by The Children’s Museum of Saratoga Springs.
One major change is underway: We are doing away with our market tokens, the traditional “wooden nickels.” We are making this change in an effort to reduce operating costs and will have an ATM machine available on site. Please give us your feedback as we will have a trial period before making the change permanent. We will continue to offer tokens to SNAP/EBT recipients and will continue to accept Fresh Connect coupons as part of our partnership with New York state to make local food more available and affordable to our entire community.
We also will offer an expanded Holiday Market in November and December on the second floor of the Lincoln Baths Building. The holiday market will include local artisans, craftspeople, and specialty food and beverage makers. It offers a great opportunity to support local people by buying their uniquely crafted items as holiday gifts.
As one of the oldest farmers markets in the area, we want our regular shoppers, weekend visitors, and area newcomers to have a space filled with amazing local produce, meats, dairy products, prepared foods, and crafts. We invite you to come to the market weekly and, if you can, to stay the whole morning. Have breakfast with us, fill your bags with your food needs for the week, dance with our musicians, and craft something cool with your children.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through April at the Lincoln Baths Building at the Saratoga Spa State Park. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
