Several dozen vendors took part in the opening of the Penticton Farmers’ Market on Saturday, April 20.
The 33-year-old local tradition returned to the 100-block of Main Street, marking the start of another season of community togetherness in downtown Penticton.
“Getting out here and seeing everybody again, especially on a nice day like today, it doesn’t get much better than this,” said Kyle Stewart, who’s brought his Soda Creek Soap products to the market for six years.
The market will run every Saturday until Oct. 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
With an estimated 10,000 weekly visitors, local businesses from Oliver, Keremeos, Cawston, Naramata and Summerland are among those who join the dozens of Penticton-based booths set up in the city’s downtown core.
“It’s a great community,” Stewart said. “You got all the farmers from all walks of life, growing all sorts of different things, you can find just about everything thing here….everything local.”
The opening of this season’s market ran in conjunction with a volunteer appreciation breakfast and city-led Earth Week festivities in Gyro Park. Penticton firefighters and other community leaders were seen serving up pancakes for hundreds of volunteers across the South Okanagan and Similkameen.
The Penticton Farmers’ Market will be joined by the return of the Downtown Community Market on May 18, which will run in the 200 and 300 blocks of Main Street.
That event will also be held every Saturday, but only until Sept. 9.
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