CHAPTER 10The Farmers Market

All photos in this chapter are © by Joe Konz 

I don’t know how long organizers had been planning to launch a Garfield Park Farmers Market, but the May 7, 2016, opening day certainly marked an important occasion for the Garfield Park neighborhood. And the healthy turnout demonstrated that the idea satisfied a need for Southsiders. 

Vendors set up in a portion of the parking lot at the southeast end of the park near the tennis courts. The market is still in operation today and runs on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May through September.

I was still living in the neighborhood at the time, so I was very happy to be there to see it happen (I would not be as fortunate to witness the opening of the nearby Garfield Brewery, which happened the year after I left, but I digress).

Skis were overcast on opening day, but that didn't deter a lot people from showing up to support it. Almost all of these photos were taken on that 2016 opening day. Please note that you can click on any photo to see a larger and sharper version.

The market arranged to have local talent provide live music on the grounds. Slide Cat Royal (first photo below) had the distinction of providing music at the first Garfield Park Farmers Market. 

Pictured above and below are musicians who performed at the Garfield Farmers Market's second week (above), May 14, and third week (below), May 21.

A fan of kettle corn, I was also happy to see D&S Kettle Corn as a vendor (above) at the market. Garfield Within a few weeks, My Dad’s Sweet Corn – which I’d previously supported with purchases at its vending spot in the Fishers Farmers Market – also became a vendor in Garfield Park. 

I also was pleased to see South Circle Farm/Mad Farms Collective (first photo below) vending on launch day, too. I’d been shopping at their on-site location at 2048 S. Meridian St. for a few months before the Garfield Farmers Market made finding fresh-grown organic produce such as theirs easier to access, at least for me. The people shown in the last photo below were some of the first volunteers.

Next up, Chapter 11: Fire Station 29

Previously in the Garfield Park in Pictures series:

Introduction

Chapter 1: “America, We Remember”

Chapter 2: The Garfield Park Arts Center

Chapter 3: Bean Creek and Pleasant Run

Chapter 4: New Bean Creek pedestrian bridge

Chapter 5: Blake’s Garden

Chapter 6: Burrello Family Center and James Garfield statue

Chapter 7: Conservatory Crossing yuletide decorations

Chapter 8: Conservatory proper

Chapter 9: Conservatory permanent tropical plants and rain forest exhibit