Back for a second season, now fed by experience and cultivated with suggestions, the farmers market at Parks Legado Town Center is set to open again on Saturday, having grown bigger and better than before.
That’s according to project market coordinator Andrew Marshall, who said Monday that the Parks Legado Farmers Market will be expanded and will feature more vendors than ever when it opens for the first time this summer between 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The Parks Legado Farmers Market is in its second year of operation, after a first go-around in the summer of 2017.
“We definitely learned a lot,” said Marshall, who works with the Sewell Family of Companies and helps present the farmers market at the town center that the organization opened in 2013.
“We’re just trying to come to the table this year with those improvements and make it even better than it was last year.”
Marshall said the farmers market has 70 vendors on tap to offer their goods at Saturday’s event, which is up from the event averaging about 50 vendors on a day in the market’s first summer last year.
This year, the farmers market is set to run on the second Saturday of each month from June to September — on June 9, July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8 — at the shopping hub at 7260 E. Highway 191.
Marshall said that the farmers market has been able to grow after a successful first run last year, through word of mouth and in that more vendors are attracted to come after seeing the big turnouts last year.
“We owe that part, really, to the community, that they showed up and supported the market, because that’s what we need to recruit the farmers,” Marshall said.
“We’re just really appreciative that the community came out and supported, and has allowed us to expand and recruit more farmers.”
The Parks Legado Farmers Market runs in rhythm with the Medical Center Hospital’s Odessa, Texas Farmers Market, which is set to open on the fourth Saturday of each month from June to September on the MCH campus in downtown Odessa.
This year at Parks Legado, the farmers market grounds will be expanded over a larger part of the town center, spread over its plaza, its south parking lot and now part of its north parking lot.
There, attendees can expect to find fresh local produce, plus artisan goods and more, during events Marshall said should be better than ever, now reorganized with suggestions from vendors who go to many similar events, and attendees last year.
“I can’t even tell you how many people that took the time to say, ‘Hey, I had this idea for something you could do,’” Marshall recalled. “‘Maybe if you changed the layout so it went over here’ — It’s amazing when everybody takes an interest and helps that way. It’s been awesome.
“It really kind of reinforces the reason that we started it. It was to build community and provide a place for people to get together and do things like this. It’s been really awesome.”
And, of course, organizers hope the event isn’t finished growing yet.
Marshall said the market is always open to bringing in more produce vendors for its events this summer, and he hopes to attract even more.
“We guarantee space for farmers and things that are similar — farmers, bakers, people that want to sell jams, jellies, things like that; even people that just have a produce garden in their backyard,” Marshall said.
“We’re always looking for farmers,” he added. “We want to get as many farmers here as we can.”
Those interested in the event can learn more online at ParksLegado.com/FarmersMarket, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/PLTCFM. Those interested in becoming a vendor can inquire through [email protected].
