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Date: 5/9/2023
CHICOPEE – For the third year, the Chicopee Center Fresh Farmers Market will return with new and old vendors offering an array of clean vegetables, agricultural products, prepared foods, crafts and more.
Beginning June 1 and running through October, the farmers market will take place every Thursday from 1-6 p.m. in front of the old library, 31 Springfield St.
Each week there are about eight to 10 vendors that will fill Chicopee Center.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melissa Breor said the primary vendors are produce farmers. This year, there are two new farmers — Brown Cow Farm in South Deerfield and the local Nightjar Farm that offer standard green vegetables, among other freshly grown products.
Other vendors include Grown Up Farm and Dusty Goat Farm.
Breor said the reason farmers are the primary vendors is because it provides access to fresh food for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries and does a dollar-for-dollar match.
While the vendors differ each week, they are always committed to having SNAP items, fresh vegetables in season and will be getting bread and eggs “quite regularly,” she said.
Additional vendors slated for the season include a flower farmer from Chicopee, a honey producer from Holyoke, along with someone who offers herbal remedies and homemade jams.
Each farmers market is also accompanied by live music and a food truck.
There is no cost for admission and there is no vendor fee.
Breor explained that the Chicopee Fresh Farmers Market started in 2021, after stakeholders brainstormed ways to revitalize economic development in Chicopee Center. She noted that food insecurity was a big issue there.
Since its establishment, the weekly event has brought in myriad people, with anywhere between 100 and 150 attendees during the summer months.
The farmers market used to run at an earlier time but was changed this year after the vendors requested a later time for people to visit after work.
“We have an incredible network of vendors,” said Breor. There is a “base group” or “pack” of vendors that travels together to different locations throughout the week.
The farmers market happens rain or shine, however, it will be canceled for extreme weather.
Chicopee Fresh Farmers Market is supported by the Office of Community Development through block grants, as well local businesses sponsoring it.
This year, Breor said the Chicopee Cultural Council awarded an entertainment grant.
The Chicopee Chamber of Commerce puts on the event with the goal of supporting the micro-enterprise and bringing people to the center.
Breor encourages everyone interested in visiting the farmers market to come check it out soon.