The Wednesday evening version of the Batavia Farmers Market will open for the season on Wednesday, the Batavia MainStreet group has announced.
Now in its third year, the market will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. June 10, 17 and 24; July 1, 15, 22 and 29; and Aug. 5, organizers said.
The Wednesday market has moved to a new location at South Riverwalk Plaza on North Island Avenue and Houston Street in front of Batavia City Hall. Previously, the market had been held along North River Street between Wilson and State streets, the same as the larger Saturday farmers market in Batavia, which opened for the season last month.
Kristen Desler, assistant director for the Batavia MainStreet group, said the decision to move the Wednesday market to the plaza was designed “to activate another area of our downtown.”
“The Batavia Park District hosts a River Rhapsody Concert Series on Wednesday nights at the Peg Bond Center,” she said. “It’s usually bustling with people later on in the evening around 7 o’clock, but we wanted to give folks something to do around there just before the event.”
Desler expects the transition from the North River Street location to the plaza “to be seamless.”
“We have utilized that space before during BatFest … so it’s not completely foreign to us and I’m expecting the transition to be easy,” she said.
A total of 20 vendors – most from the Saturday farmers market – will be on hand Wednesday evenings offering fresh produce, farm-raised meats, cheeses “and a lot of great ready-to-eat things that we kind of thought would complement that River Rhapsody series.”
“We wanted to have things that people could grab on their way home from work and enjoy that evening,” Desler said. “We have delicious options, including hummus spreads and dips from Yallatizers, and also a lot of little goodies like cookies, kettle corn, a cheesecake vendor and a variety of different beverages.”
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Desler said that mid-week markets are often aimed at shoppers restocking things they ran out of over the weekend or for those who are busy with family activities on the weekend and don’t have time to shop at the main farmers market on Saturdays.
She said it is also “just a nice opportunity to be outside – be along the river and be outdoors when it is typically a little cooler and trying something new,” she said. “People love our market because we do make it a priority to have fresh things there.”
A press release from Batavia MainStreet said that on opening day, Wednesday, June 10, vendors will offer special features including a “build your own” gourmet salad bowl at Hanson’s Microgreens, a mystery marshmallow flavor from Cakeytown Marshmallows and samples from Lil C’s Cheesecakes and Miss Lindy’s Bakery.
Guests who make a purchase at the market on June 10 will also have the opportunity to enter a Batavia MainStreet raffle. Two winners will each receive $50 in Downtown Dollars, which can be used just like cash at dozens of downtown Batavia businesses, according to officials with Batavia MainStreet.
Weekly vendor listings, updates and special features can be found on Facebook and Instagram @bataviafarmersmarket and @downtownbatavia.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.