The Crookston Farmers Market opened for the first time this year. It ran earlier today at 4:00 p.m. and until 6:30 p.m. at the Downtown Square at North Ash Street and Third Street.
There are usually around 12 vendors at the market. Some items that will be sold at the farmers market include-
- Dog Treats
- Fruits
- Flowers
- Kid’s Toys/Products
- Goat Products
- Homemade Deserts
- Soaps
- Vegetables
The Farmers Market also includes several programs that help community members access more food-
- Power of Produce, teaches about nutrition by allowing children ages 0-18 to get two free $1 vouchers to use specifically on fruits/vegetables. Seniors over 65 may also access this program.
- EBT, for every dollar of EBT money spent, patrons will receive one EBT token to be used on any edible item at the market. In addition to this, they will receive a market buck used for the same purpose and a produce buck only for fruits/vegetables for each EBT dollar spent. All ratios involving EBT credits are 1:1.
- Farmers Market Nutrition Program, the Crookston Farmers Market, is an eligible market for those who receive checks for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
Patricia Grothe, an organizer for the Crookston Farmers Market, encourages people to stop by, “It’s a fun place just to come and see your neighbors or friends or just meet at the market.”
The farmers market will be open every Thursday until the end of September. There will be a couple of exceptions, with the market being off for the Fourth of July week. During the Ox Cart Days week, the farmers’ market will be held on Saturday instead of Thursday. Lastly, on October 5, there will be the Fall Harvest.
Grothe details the Fall Harvest, “That’s a fun day because everybody has a lot of pumpkins, gourds, and other things they’ve had all year. But there is an abundance of pumpkins. Then we also have soup and a little lunch (dinner roll, a bar, & bottle of water) to kind of thank our patrons for coming all year. It’s a goodwill offering, just a fundraiser for us and a treat for our patrons.”
There will be plenty of items to look at this year and fun events that the farmers market will be part of. Anyone with questions can contact Patricia Grothe at 218-230-3096 or email patgrothe1@gmail.com.
