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Date: 6/2/2022
WILBRAHAM – June 1 was scheduled as the first day of the Main Street Farmers Market at the Wilbraham United Church on 500 Main St. The farmers market will take place every Wednesday at the church from 3 p.m.- 7 p.m. until Sept. 28. The market is hosted by the Wilbraham Welcome Project, a new community initiative that started last year to celebrate Wilbraham, cultivate community and champion local businesses.
“This is our first large annual event that we’re hosting,” said Founder Aurora Pierangelo Frias of the Wilbraham Welcome Project and Market Manager of the Main Street Farmers’ Market. “We thought it’s such a great event, we have to continue it. It’s a perfect extension of our mission, so we happily took it on this year.”
She continued, “We’ll have at least three farmstands every week as well as maple syrup, honey, fruit trees, prepared foods and some craft vendors. We’re going to have a food truck almost every week and a musician a couple of times throughout the summer.”
The Farmers Market started six years ago by the farms in town who formed an initiative called Wilbraham Grown. It began with a couple of farms and vendors on Boston Road. Then it moved to the Wilbraham United Church in 2018. In 2020, the Farmers Market was canceled due to COVID-19, but was brought back last year by a small group of people. This year, the Wilbraham Welcome Project has taken over the managing and sponsoring of the event. They want this to be a community event where people come every week, support local businesses and build connections.
The Wilbraham Welcome Project has 35 vendors throughout the whole summer. Between 15 to 20 vendors will be present at each market, including vendors from last year: D&R Farm, Wildberry Acres Farm, Hustle and Heart and Wicked Good Treats by Elaine. New vendors include Merrick Farms, Iron Horse Flower Farm, Benoit’s Farm and Momma with Multiples.
In addition, the project also has a couple of new community groups in town that will be tabling throughout the summer such as the Wilbraham Junior Women’s Club, One Book, and One Community Springfield Pride Parade. Additionally, the town’s veteran services will be coming the first Wednesday of each month, and a kids’ tent will be on-site sponsored by the Wilbraham Children’s Museum and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
“We’re trying to make it family-inclusive and take feedback that we received last year and add on to it this year,” Frias explained. “Our history is based on agriculture. Wilbraham is a farm town, and we need to make sure we celebrate the agriculture that is happening in our town.”
Contact the Wilbraham Welcome Project through Messenger on Facebook or send an email to wilbrahamwelcomeproject@gmail.com. The group is looking for volunteers and sponsors.