Local farmers, artisans and bakers have been selling their products all summer long at the Seymour Area Farmers Market, and just because fall is around the corner doesn’t mean they’re packing it up.
The market, located on the corner of St. Louis Avenue and Walnut Street in downtown Seymour, begins the Market Lite fall season this month. The hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Wednesdays.
Market manager Rachel Root said the only exception will be this Saturday with the market opening at 8 a.m. since it’s Labor Day weekend.
“After this Saturday, the fall market hours will be in effect through the end of October,” Root said. “There might be a few less vendors, as they’re not required to be here but will set up if they can.”
Root said with school back in session and fall activities starting up, attendance at the market might slow down a little.
This summer, the market had about 20 new vendors, which Root believes is partly the result of a change in insurance policy.
“Before the vendors could sign up for the full market, liability insurance was required, which was a $300 commitment for each vendor,” Root said. “Now, we have a new policy that’s like a blanket policy that covers everybody, so they didn’t have to pay that $300, which was great because the vendors here to sell vegetables can’t afford that, so it was great for them.”
Items available at the market include baked goods, produce, beef, chicken, pork and turkey, eggs, dog treats, soap, flowers, lotions, cotton candy and wooden crafts.
“Attendance has been pretty good this summer, and we have some people who are here every week or maybe every other week,” Root said.
Seymour resident Karen Redmond of Bent Willow Farms and Bent Willow Custom Designs is one of the new vendors at the market.
“We’ve got some jellies, homemade salve, beauty products, T-shirts and we usually have some baked goods,” Redmond said. “Some of our popular jellies right now are Big Red jelly, and we also have root beer, Dr. Pepper and Coca-Cola jellies, peach, black cherry and more.”
Redmond said it seems like more people come to the market when there are events going on downtown.
“When there’s music out here or when they had a giveaway and the scavenger hunt or things for kids, it just seems like more people came through,” she said.
Bedford residents Carrie Nowak and Priscilla Uberta stopped by the market this past Saturday to see what they could find.
Nowak said they were getting some tomatoes and probably dog treats, too.
“We like the farmers market because it’s small and more personable,” Uberta said. “Today, we bought some pot roast, pie, wax melts and we’re not quite done yet.”
Nowak and Uberta were browsing at the Natures Candle booth, another new vendor this year.
Sara Todd of Seymour and her husband, Shawn Todd own the business, which features hand-poured natural wax candles using only crackling wooden wicks and handmade vessels.
“My mom makes flowers out of burlap, and she also makes the pies that we sell,” Sara said. “We make refills for our candle vessels and try to be as environmentally friendly as possible.”
Sara’s mother is Jerry Kay Starr, and her dad is Tom Starr, and both were at the farmers market Saturday to help Sara.
Jerry said she has been making the burlap flowers for about three years and enjoys doing things like that.
“I’ve really been selling these flowers since we’ve been here,” she said. “We just started coming here this year, and it’s really exciting.”
Tom said he and his wife are known as Tom and Jerry, and people sometimes laugh at that reference.
“I help load up for the market and then I unload,” he said. “I’m supposed to be retired, but I’m really not.”
Some repeat vendors at the market have added new items to their tables, such as Sydney’s Wood Creations, owned by Sydney Rae Bullard.
“This is my second year at the market, and I typically make door signs and wall hangings,” Bullard said. “But something new is the dog bowl stands that I’m making.”
Another repeat vendor is Stephanie Strothmann, owner of Purple Shamrock Farm LLC. She sells fresh eggs and I.P.A. Bites dog treats, and this month, she introduced a new product, Cooper’s Cookies kitty treats.
Plumer and Bowers has set up shop at the farmers market downtown for many years. They specialize in 100% grass-fed and non-GMO grain finished beef, whole wheat flour, popcorn and eggs.
Tricia Bowers, co-owner of Plumer and Bowers Farmstead, said things have been going really well at the market.
“We’ve had great traffic, and it seems like shoppers are interested and want local foods, so we’ve had a great season,” she said.
Bowers’ sister, Kendra Hoffert, said they also sell a few things like herbs and popcorn bread at their booth, and when they have produce, they bring that, too.
Liz Brownlee of Nightfall Farm in Crothersville also is a regular vendor at the market in Seymour.
“Our specialty is meat and eggs, and all of our meat is ethically raised and really delicious,” she said. “It’s nice to see the different vendors here adding more things, which is neat, and there’s a lot more variety of food products.”
Brownlee said she would like more people to know they can come shop at the market and support the local economy.
If you go
What: Market Lite
When: 8 a.m. to noon this Saturday, then 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of October
Where: Corner of St. Louis Avenue and Walnut Street in downtown Seymour
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What: Winter market
When: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month from November to April with dates/times subject to change
Where: Corner of St. Louis Avenue and Walnut Street in downtown Seymour