“We made this move because Village Green is such an attractive, easy to access park with nearly limitless space for booths and entertainment,” said Fairfield spokeswoman Jenny Dexter. “This new layout also opens up a few dozen more parking spaces.”
Running from 4 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday through and including Oct. 18, the market showcases a line-up of vendors offering local and organically produced food, including meat, baked goods, roasted coffee, gluten free, vegan, allergy friendly and paleo options, and locally-made handcrafted or hand-grown items including fresh-cut flowers, homemade candles, jams and jellies, pet treats; honey, herb-and-spice mixes and more.
“Everything we have in the market is, by the regulation we have, has to be grown, baked (or) produced within 100 miles of the market,” Acuff said. “Right now, our furthest vendor is only 42 miles away.”
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Tiffany Acuff, market manager, said having the market in the park makes it more inviting and a place people might want to linger and enjoy spending time.
“Nobody really wants to hang out in the middle of the street, but people will hang out in the middle of a park,” Acuff said. “It just creates a better atmosphere.”
Jennifer and Jimmy Bernard, of Fairfield, said they visited the market last year with their three children and stopped by Wednesday to check out the new venue.
“I love it, it’s so much better,” Jennifer Bernard said. “It seems more communal and friendlier, plus there’s more parking. That’s a definite plus. The setting feels a lot nicer.”
Anthony Pippin, of new-to-the-market vendor Pippin’s Produce, said the new venue also offers a less confined space to walk around.
“It’s more of a park atmosphere versus just being stuck in a parking lot,” he said.
The new location also cuts down on the sometimes harsh glare of Mother Nature, according to Larry Johnson of Johnson Family Farm out of Somerville.
“People didn’t realize how bad the sun was (last year) the way it came in, but it blasted right in on our tents,” Johnson said. “(Also), with all the benches around and the nice view of the park, people can walk through and really enjoy the market.”
Also new to this year’s farmers market are marshmallow maker Quaintrell, Carrie’s Creations Jams and Jellies, JOI (Joy of Essential Oil) and Made by Mare.
For a list of participating vendors and food trucks, visit www.fairfield-city.org/Market.cfm. To participate in the market as a vendor, call 513-867-5348 or email tacuff@fairfield-city.org.
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