Whitewater City Market offers new farmers market option
WHITEWATER—Farmers markets are about more than buying produce.
They are also about a breakfast of homemade pastries and hot coffee, fresh flowers, local artwork and the fellowship of other people.
Downtown Whitewater Inc. understands that, and that's one of the many reasons the organization has decided to start a second farmers market.
The Whitewater Farmers Market currently runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Winchester True Value, 1415 W. Main St. It will continue as usual through October.
The new market, called Whitewater City Market, will run from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, July 21 through Oct. 27, under the arch at Cravath Lakefront Park on West Whitewater Street.
Tami Brodnicki, executive director of Downtown Whitewater Inc., said organizers wanted to model the city market on European markets, which offer a place to buy food, meet with friends, listen to music or have a drink.
Market squares serve as a “third place,” a spot where people gather—sort of like a community living room.
“For the longest time, downtowns were the third places in communities,” Brodnicki said.
About 15 vendors have signed up for the Tuesday market. A mix of locally produced items will be for sale, including produce, plants, bread, cheese, eggs, art, crafts and soap.
Flying Cow Pizza, a purveyor of pizzas made in a wood-fired oven, also has signed up to come to the market.
Live entertainment and activities for children will be part of the mix, too.
Brodnicki said vendors from the Saturday market responded positively to the idea of a second market.
Organizers plan to promote the Saturday market on Tuesdays, and they think there is enough support and interest for both events.
People's schedules and their children's activities often mean they cannot make a Saturday morning market, Brodnicki said.
The new market also meets the organization's and city council's goal to bring more people downtown, she said.