The Steamboat Springs Farmer’s Market is Here to Enjoy
A sense of normalcy returned to downtown Steamboat Springs. Last Saturday marked the first Farmer’s Market of the summer, attracting over 4,500 visitors to shop and soak up the atmosphere. Gone are the restrictions of last year, visitors do not have to wear a mask or wait in line to enter. Live music is back on the menu with weekly performances scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This year’s lineup of 150 vendors includes a true touch of the west from local producers and artisan such as Cooking Until the Cows Come Home, Outlaw Apiaries, Alpine Bee Candles, The Goat’s Goods, Lost Range CBD and the Scattered Woodpile. Shoppers have a smorgasbord of regionally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats, homewares, clothes, and accessories to choose from. Hungry patrons can grab a bite to eat from a range of food trucks touting flavors from Greece to Greeley.
“I’m really looking forward to a normal market this summer and to seeing all of our friends and visiting with people again,” said Lisa Popovich, Executive Director, Main Street Steamboat. “We have a lot of new residents now, and there will be lots of questions and need for conversation.”
Johnson and Johnson Offering Mobile Covid Vaccination Clinic
For the first couple of weeks, there will be a mobile Covid vaccination clinic giving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to those over 18 years of age.
The market runs every Saturday until Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Newly Established Hayden Farm Fresh Market Now Open on Thursday Evenings
Anyone who can’t make Saturdays, now has an opportunity to catch up with a handful of vendors at the newly established Hayden Farm Fresh Market on Thursday evenings from 5-8 p.m. on South Walnut Street. The market was started by Colby and Michelle Townsend, local producers who turned food shortages caused by the pandemic into an opportunity. The couple started to find ways of bringing homegrown foods from their farm to their own community. “People were concerned about how many hands had touched their food and how far it had to travel,” Colby Townsend said. “The hashtag #knowyourproducer suddenly became a reality in the valley.”
Other producers including Mountain Bluebird Farm, a regular fixture at the Steamboat Farmers Market, jumped on board in Hayden too. The Hayden market aims to run until the end of October, giving farmers an extended timeframe to sell seasonal goods locally.
“We are fortunate that people in Routt County enjoy a very healthy lifestyle, and that includes not only physical fitness but what we put in our bodies,” Michelle Townsend said. If there is a silver lining for local producers, it is that people are more aware than ever of the home grown produce we have access to in our own backyard.