Farmers market season begins in Williamsburg

WILLIAMSBURG — The season of fresh produce and flowers, baked goods and crafts begins in Williamsburg Friday afternoon.

The first farmers market of 2024 begins at 4 p.m. on the Williamsburg square.

“We have 45-50 registered vendors this year, which is considerably higher than we’ve ever had,” said organizer Tony Curtis.

The farmers market is from 4-6 p.m. every Friday in June through September, except the third Friday of June, July and August, when the market is open an extra hour.

“The Chamber of Commerce is involved with helping us on the third Friday,” said Curtis. Third Fridays is a Chamber event that brings live music, children’s activities and food trucks to the farmers market.

Every Friday, however, will host a park full of vendors. “We have a lot of baked good vendors,” said Curtis. Arts and crafts, woodworking and jewelry are sold beside the tables of food items.

About 20 more vendors have registered this year, Curtis said. The farmers market is more organized and it now has a website for easy registration and distribution of information.

“We have a vendor who drives about 50 miles to sell at our market,” said Curtis, though it’s mostly local by design to support the Williamsburg economy.

“We have several regular customers that come every year,” said Curtis. “We get a lot of people from Marengo.”

With so many more vendors and maybe a new food truck or two, parking may be a bigger challenge this season. “It was tough last year,” Curtis said.

There are parking spots along the square, but it can be tricky to find a spot, especially during the Third Friday on the Square events, Curtis said.

Additional parking is available in the parking lot behind the Williamsburg Public Library at 300 W. State St. and at the First Presbyterian Church parking lot at 504 S. Highland St.

Not every vendor comes every week, Curtis said. Some set up periodically or stop coming after a few weeks. And that’s OK, said Curtis. Vendors are welcome when they want to be there.

“I’ve been doing this market 14 years,” said Curtis. “I know the ones that are going to be faithful.”

“I’ve got a good customer base,” said Curtis. “A lot of times I’ll have a line of people waiting in front of my table [at 4 p.m.].”

The market is located on the northeast corner of the square, 210 W. State St.

The market begins at 4 p.m., and no sales are allowed before the whistle blows. Vendors need time to properly set up and begin at a consistent time each week, Curtis said.

The farmers market Facebook page says it’s a good idea to bring cash for purchases, though some vendors use other forms of payment, such as credit cards, Venmo and PayPal.