Fells Point Farmers' Market Draws Big Crowds
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It started just last year and it's become a big hit. The Fells Point Farmers' Market is drawing big crowds.
Ron Matz reports there will be even more to enjoy as part of Grand Prix weekend.
There's a good vibe and a whole lot more at the Fells Point Farmers' Market. It started just last year and is growing.
"We wanted to bring fresh local shopping to this area, since there weren't any farmers' markets around here on Saturday. We started the market with 12 vendors last year. This year, at peak, we're going to have 52 vendors. We've expanded over to the Waterfront Pier, in addition to Broadway Square," said Farmers' Market manager Merritt Dworkin. "We've had a great response. The community loves it. The hotels are sending their visitors here. We have produce and we also have takeaway items. We hope people start their day here and stay here."
The guys from Three Springs bring delicious apples and other goodies from Gettysburg.
"We're here every Saturday, rain or shine, with fresh produce. We love it. It's a great community with great people. It's a lot of fun. It's a great atmosphere, a good vibe," said Ben Wenk, Three Springs Fruit Farm. "We get a great response here. Unlike other farmers' markets in the city, this one is producer-owned, so when you come to our stand, you're talking to the people who grew that food. That's really important to folks."
Folks will be here Saturday, part of Grand Prix weekend.
"We are ready for the Grand Prix. We have a lot of vendors offering specials. It might be buy one, get one free, a raffle for a free basket. It will be fantastic and we're easy to get to. We're not at all affected by the race closures or the traffic," Dworkin said. "Every Saturday, we open at 7:30 in the morning. We go until noon. We also have live music every Saturday. We want people to relax and hang out and enjoy everything that's local and fresh."
"We're ready for Saturday. The Grand Prix is not going to slow us down. We're at the peak of our season. Everything is coming up real good right now. It's a great time of year to come to the farmers' market," Wenk said.
It's fantastic for James Hale and his homemade salsa.
"My wife and I started making salsa years ago. We would take it to family functions and people loved it. One day we decided, `Let's try to sell it and give the public an opportunity to taste what we're tasting,'" Hale said. "We started a year ago and it's been great ever since. We do markets when we can. We're in about 13 stores in the Baltimore/D.C. area."
It's every Saturday morning in Fells Point. The market is open between May and November beginning at 7:30 a.m.
