Gnadenhutten Farmers' Market opens season July 11

Gnadenhutten Farmers' Market opens season July 11
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The Gnadenhutten Farmers' Market has been in operation each summer since 2006 at the village square. This year the market will be open from July 11 through Sept. 26 every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

                        

The Gnadenhutten Farmers' Market will open this year on Saturday, July 11 from 8 a.m. to noon and run every Saturday through Sept. 26.

The market was originally started in 2006 by the late Lori Davis and is a favorite event.

“It’s not just the farmers' market that attracts people; it’s more like a social event for the town,” said Heidi Swaney of Gnadenhutten, who has organized the market since 2015.

Still, the market is for everyone, not just locals. “Anybody who wants to come in and sell can come in and sell, and the same with buyers,” Swaney said.

The focus of the market is on having unique crafters and vendors participate.

“Usually, we try to keep it to handmade crafts, home-baked goods and home-grown. We do have some vendors who visit the produce auctions, but they usually have a different variety than what is locally grown. They are usually local people, and it gives variety,” Swaney said.

The event is held rain or shine, although there may be fewer vendors if the weather is wet.

Because the event is held in downtown Gnadenhutten, it also gets a lot of foot traffic.

“We have a lot of the locals who walk. They shop on their morning walk, pick up what they want and then go home. It’s where everybody comes to, and it’s a nice, open field,” Swaney said. “There is a lot of parking, and the city allows the vendors to park in the field so the vendors aren’t taking up all the parking.”

The vendors at the market vary from week to week, adding to the variety of items available for sale.

“It’s not mandatory that you come every week, so some weeks we have 10-15, some weeks only eight to nine depending which crops are in,” Swaney said. “We do have our staples. We have a lady that makes homemade pies, and I’m a crafter. I do candles and soaps, so those items are there all the time.”

In addition to candles and soaps, other craft items that have been available have included handbags, wreaths and jewelry.

The farmers rotate in as their crops come into season.

“It depends on the season. We have an apple vendor that doesn’t start coming until the end of August when apples come into season, but he’s there through the end of September,” Swaney said. “Usually, the last couple weeks we get pumpkins if somebody has some extra. We do have meats, and people have brought honey. It’s all different and whatever is in season.”

Other times, nonprofit groups set up, or the Gnadenhutten Public Library or Gnadenhutten Museum will set up for special events.

“We’ve had two high school boys that were in the band that have come for the last four or five years. They help their grandma bake cookies, and then they sell the cookies to help support their band trips. They were usually the first ones to sell out,” Swaney said.

Swaney is not sure if the boys will return this year as one of them has graduated.

The market gets busy right away at 8 a.m. as vendors are setting up. “People come through, and they are getting the good stuff,” Swaney said.

About 10:30 a.m. when Gnadenhutten residents are going to get their mail is another busy time for the market. “We sometimes get a little respite, but it’s usually busy all day,” Swaney said.

Swaney advised getting to the market as early as possible, adding some vendors start selling out as early as 11 a.m., and then they pack up and leave. “Sometimes we are not even there until noon because everybody is sold out,” she said. “Other times, we’ve had people that have had stuff sit there and sell it past noon. As long as there are still people coming, the vendors will stay.”

There is another bonus for shoppers: With each purchase they are entered into a monthly drawing. The winner gets to come to the market the week after their name is drawn and go to each vendor to collect their prize. If it’s a produce booth, they could get free fresh food.

“The farmers are very generous too,” Swaney said. “Sometimes, crafters will give prizes ahead of time. I let them pick out whatever kind of soap they want or a candle. Sometimes, vendors will come out and say what are you interested in today so the winner gets to pick. The lady who does the pies allows the winner to pick what pie they want.”

This year’s market will be a little different with a few extra guidelines in place for vendors and shoppers due to the COVID-19 health crisis. With social distancing guidelines, everyone is urged to wear masks and have only one customer at a time at each booth, and everyone should keep a 6-foot distance.

The market is always looking for new vendors, and setup is free. For more information on how to become a vendor, call Swaney at 330-440-1909 or email gnadenfm@gmail.com. Visit their Facebook page at Gnadenhutten Farmers' Market for more information.


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