Grinnell Farmers Market kicks off Thursday, May 12

“Our market has grown into one of the largest small-town farmers markets in Iowa,” said Ann Brau, a market vendor and volunteer market manager. “We have a few new vendors joining us this year, along with many returning vendors.”

The Grinnell Farmers Market will take place on Thursday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to Noon. The Farmers Market sets up along the Fourth Avenue and Broad Street perimeter of Central Park. The 2016 Grinnell Farmers Market is sponsored by Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, Claude & Dolly Ahrens Foundation, Grinnell College, University of Iowa Community Credit Union and Grinnell Regional Medical Center.

The Grinnell Farmers Market is a 100% producer grown or made market, meaning that all items for sale are grown or made by the vendor themselves or their immediate family members.

This year’s confirmed vendors include:

1. Charles & Marilyn Aldrich: bread rolls, homemade noodles, and nuts. Thursday market.
2. B&J Vegetables (Bill Sager): produce and eggs. Thursday market.
3. Botanical Goodness (Darold & Ruth Laackman): vegetables. Thursday & Saturday market.
4. Bunny Traxx Ceramics (Sheryl Anderson): ceramic items, kitchen towels and mitts. Thursday & Saturday markets.
5. Busy Bee Acres (Jim & Penny Dolezal): fresh produce, maple syrup and honey. Thursday market. New products in 2016.
6. Center Point Farm (Karen Kline): soy wax candles. Thursday & Saturday market.
7. Ceres Baked Goods (Laura Engel): baked goods. Thursday market.
8. Compass Plant CSA (Ann Brau & Lisle Dunham): Baked goods, produce, flowers and plants. Thursday & Saturday markets (Thursday market manager).
9. Daisy Hill Farm (Katy Harris & David Chatfield): produce, handcrafted wood items. Thursday market.
10. Dandelions & Vines (Lisa Stewart): baked goods and craft items. Thursday market.
11. Dog Daze Designs (Kathleen Reed): Crafts, produce and baked goods. Thursday market. New vendor in 2016.
12. Doty Angus Cattle Company: beef. Thursday market.
13. Dragon Wagon BBQ (Beckey & Terry Anderson): smoked meats (beef, pork, chicken), bbq sauce, kettle korn and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Thursday market. New products in 2016.
14. Lim Freland: baked goods, candies and wood-crafted items. Thursday market.
15. Grinnell Steakhouse: sandwiches. Thursday market. New vendor in 2016.
16. Hala’s Honey (Margaret Hala): baked goods, crocheted items, some produce. Thursday market.
17. Hinegardner Orchard (David Hinegardner): apples, melons, berries and cider. Thursday market.
18. Esther Huedepohl: baked goods. Thursday market.
19. Joe & Barb Imhoff: produce, baked goods, jam and hand-crafted pens. Thursday market.
20. Just Let Me Bake (Tassy Guthrie): baked goods, produce. Thursday market.
21. Ineichen Tomatoes: produce and baked goods. Thursday market.
22. Irish Ridge Produce (Steve  & Francene Cranston): produce. Saturday market.
23. Middle Way Farm (Jordan Scheibel): produce, herbs, flowers and vegetable plant starts. Thursday market.
24. Momma Teresa Salsa (Marilyn D’Aguanno): salsa, spice packets and apple butter. Thursday market.
25. Olson Garden Market: produce. Thursday & Saturday market. Saturday market manager.
26. Soaring Creations (Sandra Durr): natural soaps, lip balms, lotion, crocheted items and metal designs. Thursday market. New vendor in 2016.
27. Sunny D’s Market (Andre Dugas): fresh-squeezed lemonade, produce and microgreens.
28. Top of the Hill Nuts (Greg Lincoln): cinnamon roasted and maple flavored nuts. Thursday market.
29. Ginger Werner: produce, honey, eggs, popcorn, baked goods. Saturday market.

The market is working in conjunction with the Grinnell AmeriCorps Partnership’s Healthy Readers team to implement Wellness at the Market the second Saturdays and third Thursdays of each month, May through October. They are finalizing plans now for activities with a wellness theme. Activities scheduled for May include a book reading which will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning (May 14), and 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon (May 19), a taste-test scavenger hunt for kids and smoothie making through ‘pedal power’. Additional plans include educational activities such as cooking demonstrations, live music and ‘planting a pizza’ where participants will transplant tomato, basil and onion plants.

Farmers Market shoppers will be encouraged to fill punch cards as they shop. Shoppers earn a punch for each purchase they make from a vendor, and completed punch cards are collected for weekly giveaways. Vendors donate items for the giveaways and two to four people are awarded baskets filled with those items each week.

Rachael Kinnick with the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce coordinates the market. She encourages people to ‘like’ the Grinnell Farmers Market Facebook page, where she often posts updates about which vendors, products and activities shoppers can expect each week. Additionally, more information will soon be available at www.grinnellchamber.org/en/events/farmers_market/.

Several market vendors participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program which consists of the SFMNP (Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program) & WIC (Women, Infant, Children) programs. A few vendors also accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. These programs allow low-income families and seniors the opportunity to enrich their diets with locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs available at Farmers Markets.

There is still time for interested vendors to sign up. Vendor applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but there are a limited number of stalls each week. Those interested in signing up as a vendor should contact Kinnick to reserve space for their preferred dates. Vendors may sign up for full time or part time positions on both Thursdays and Saturdays.

Those interested in the Grinnell Farmers Market, or have questions, should contact Kinnick at the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, Rachael@getintogrinnell.com or 641-236-6555.