Farmers' Market Introduces Summer Hours

Farmers' Market Introduces Summer Hours

By Alexis BlueUniversity Communications
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Visitors to the UA Farmers' Market can browse for fresh produce, gifts and more.
Visitors to the UA Farmers' Market can browse for fresh produce, gifts and more.

Farmers' Market regulars who feared the end of the school year meant the end of easy access to fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies needn't worry. The weekly University of Arizona Farmers' Market will continue throughout the summer months, holding evening hours in order to beat the heat.

This is the first time since its inception three years ago that the market won't take the summer off, said Gale Welter, Campus Health Service's nutrition services coordinator.

This Friday marks the first of the summer markets, which are scheduled from 5-8 p.m. every Friday through Aug. 21.

"I hope it will be a great place to be on Friday evenings," said Perlana Howard, a UA public health education senior and vendor coordinator for the summer Farmers' Market. "We changed the hours, so we're trying to beat the heat a little, and people are getting off work about that time. We're trying to make it more of a community event rather than just a U of A event."

The Farmers' Market, formerly held on the UA Mall, relocated in the fall to Main Gate Square, west of campus, in a partnership with the Marshall Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates most of the Main Gate property. Jane McCollum, the Marshall Foundation's general manager, was the first to suggest continuing the market during the summer, Welter said.  

Howard, an intern for McCollum, volunteered to take the lead on the project, which she hopes will also help attract more customers to Main Gate businesses in a season that tends to slow down.  

During the school year, Farmers' Markets are held midday and have an average of 12 to 18 vendors, who sell everything from locally grown produce to coffee to potted plants to homemade soaps. Some vendors will stick around for the summer, while some new ones are expected to join, Welter said.

Most vendors will set up in the Geronimo Plaza near East University Boulevard and North Euclid Avenue, and live musical performances are planned for every market, Howard said.

While most students are out of town for the summer, Welter said she hopes the market will continue to draw UA employees and Tucson community members.

"This is our first attempt at a summer Farmers' Market," she said. "We're hoping it creates a different kind of community feel."

Fore more information, including a schedule, visit the Farmers' Market Web site.

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