Bringing the market to your doorstep: Farmers Market Opens on Central

Farmers may be headed to the city this summer, bringing their homegrown fruits and vegetables to sell on Central Avenue. The Central Business Improvement District and WAMC-Northeast Public Radio are teaming up to create a new farmers’ market in the parking lot next to the Linda Norris Auditorium.

The parking lot is cold and empty now, but starting May 30, it will be home to crowd of vendors offering a range of farm fresh products to district residents. The market will be a convenient source of fresh fruits and vegetables, and will also be a boon to farmers, who are always looking for new places to sell their wares.

The market also promises to be a unique opportunity for neighbors to meet, bringing together people from Washington Park, West Hill, and Sheridan Square every week. Discussions are currently underway on other programs this new public square might host.

One goal of the planners is that the market will accept EBT and WIC benefit cards, so that everyone has access to the very freshest produce for healthy meals, and it could also become a place where people can make donations to the Capital District Food Pantries.

WAMC and the BID say the market is part of a long term vision for the neighborhood. The people who live and work on Central see it as a working, thriving area for development, and the market is a way to display the very best the region has to offer.

The market will take place in the parking lot beside the Linda Norris Auditorium—WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio at 339 Central Avenue on Saturdays from 8am to noon, lasting from May to September. Any farmers/vendors who are interested in selling goods at the market should contact the Central BID at (518) 462-4300.