Every Saturday throughout the warmer months in Grand Forks, the city hosts a Town Square Farmers Market in the heart of downtown. The first usually occurs midway through June and continues until the end of September. The final two farmers markets will take place on Sept. 20 and 27.
The Town Square Farmers Market is a non-profit organization that has been alive and well in the city of Grand Forks since 2001. It is held together with the support of local partners and sponsors as well as their loyal vendors. Each year they welcome new and returning vendors from all over the area. Each vendor brings their own unique locally grown goods and handmade products.
Though most people plan to go to the market weekly to grab their favorite goods, each market always has a little something different every week. Whether that is new food to try, new products to buy, or new performances to see, you can always expect to experience something a little different. It is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the nice weather on the weekend and to support local businesses and artists.
The layout of the market has always remained relatively the same. The vendor locations are picked out by the vendors as they show up, but there are a few staples that tend to end up in the same place each week where others will shift around throughout the summer. Typically, there will be some sort of performance happening on the stage in the corner of the square where market goers can find a picnic table or bench to sit and observe. Along with this, there will be various food trucks and businesses lined up along the street in front of the town square.
There are many Grand Forks Town Square Farmers Market staple vendors whose names you may already know. This includes Happy Camper Coffee, Little Bangkok, Two Sisters Bagels, Sun & Moon Jewlery, Hippie Chicks, and ST’s Salsa, just to name a few.
Each vendor stand is run by independent local businesses who dedicate their time to growing or creating one-of-a-kind goods so that they are readily available to the Grand Forks community each weekend. The Farmer’s Market is a great opportunity for college students especially to get out and involve themselves in their community by exploring all that it has to offer.
Although this year’s market season is coming to an end there are still a few opportunities to take advantage of this unique opportunity in our community. Along with this, many of the regular vendors sell their products year-round either through other outlets or online stores. So, if you have a favorite vendor who you think you may miss during the colder months, consider stopping by the market one last time to ask them about purchasing products during the off-season.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
