Brittany Robbins of Aurora spent some time Saturday morning picking up some last-minute produce and a few other items while also saying goodbye to merchants she has seen throughout the summer as the Aurora Farmers Market closed for the season.
“I’m always sad when the farmers market season ends,” she said Saturday morning while making her final purchases at the market at 65 S. Water St. in downtown Aurora. “We’re totally sad.
“It’s been a place to take the kids and we love to come here,” she added. “We’re here to get some hummus dip from my favorite little shop and some coffee for mom. We’ve been coming for a couple of years. We always get hummus, always some vegetables, and my husband likes listening to live music.”
Saturday brought an end to the 115th year of the longest-running farmers market in the state, a season that again brought thousands to downtown Aurora throughout the late spring and summer to shop for food products and services provided by a rotating pool of more than 80 vendors.
Felicia Freitag, farmers market manager, declared the season a success.
“We had a good season. It went very well and we’ve noticed an uptick in traffic which has been great. We see less people as the season goes on, but our numbers the past few weeks have exceeded where they were the last few years at this time,” she said. “It’s been great and I think the community appreciates all the activities we host as well. It’s been a great season.”
She said some changes are in store for next season including “our likely using the whole parking lot next year” at the site.
“We might see a return of a farmer that we’ve had in the past. We’re looking to get a large-scale farmer back and that’s something that we’re looking forward to because that has been one of our biggest feedback points – people want more produce,” she said.
Saturday’s finale featured a fall celebration and included mini-pumpkins that were given away for children to decorate, as well as a small petting zoo and vendor trick-or-treating.
Brittany Robbins’ husband Steve said for him, the market is something he enjoys “because it’s great to be outside. It’s the best part of this, getting outside and seeing all the different vendors we would see. It’s really cool to see all of them.”
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Jeannie Norris of Aurora said she walks to the market nearly every week and was lamenting the closing of the event for the season.
“I wish it would go until the end of October at least,” she said as she was sampling some cheese from a vendor. “After all these years, I like seeing people I know, friends of mine, and I like seeing people I don’t really know but I’m familiar with them from their being here all the time.”
Nancy Sawyer, who said she lives in Aurora Township, also came on the last day of the season for the market and said she has been frequenting the event since it was held “back at the Metra train station.”
“I like that I can still get fresh, somewhat local produce,” she said. “Next week, I might have to find some farmstands that are outside the city. I’m trying to avoid the grocery stores.”
Sawyer held an entire basket of jalapeno peppers and admitted it was more than she needed.
“It’s $5 a box so I took them,” she said. “I’m going to make jalapeno poppers and salsa.”
Doug Harrington, also of Aurora, said he walked to the market on Saturday and that he has been coming to the weekly event for at least 20 years.
“I think this has lasted for more than a century because of the vendors. They have good products,” he said of Aurora’s long-running market. “I bought some honey and I usually buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and some of the breads – they are pretty tasty – and the cheese people. You can’t go wrong with them.”
Harrington spoke about how he’ll cope next week without the weekly farmers market in Aurora.
“I’m going to have to go and stock up,” he said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.