The Woodfords Corner Farmers Market has a “real local community feel,” one of its vendors says. Mikayla Patel / The Forecaster
Woodfords Corner Farmers Market opened for its second season last week and will be up and running from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Oct. 24.
Launched last year by Friends of Woodfords Corner, the market has seven weekly and nine biweekly vendors, as well as entertainment and other activities.
“As a neighborhood market, not only do we complement the bigger farmers markets by working with newer farms, we also give more people another walkable option to access locally grown food,” Friends of Woodfords Corner President Teresa Valliere said in a press release.
The Friends group works to increase neighborhood community engagement and economic development and the market creates a local space for connection between farmers and neighbors, according to Valliere. The Woodfords Corner neighborhood is home to about 9,000 people.
Todd Chretien of Fair Share Farm in Wayne is a weekly vendor again this year. For a farm with the goal of “providing local organic produce at prices all members of our community can afford,” he said, the Woodfords market is a good fit.
“Friends of Woodfords Corner have done a wonderful job in terms of hosting and building a community there. It’s a real local community feel,” Chretien said. “It’s been wonderful to get to know the other farmers and vendors, and it’s a wonderful group of people to communicate with every week.”
Another regular vendor, Michael Levine of Avalon Acres in Hollis, also likes the community spirit of the Woodfords Corner market.
“There’s a real sense of community and support,” he said.
Market customers are knowledgeable about the produce they buy and are always interested and excited to learn more from the vendors and farmers, Levine said.
“We’re all small-scale farmers doing things by hand, and it’s a labor of love for us,” he said.
“It’s a really nice atmosphere, and they have entertainment, which is really nice,” he added.
Live music, “spotlight” organizations, food trucks and games are all part of the market. Organizers have increased the number of tables and seating available this year.
The market is located in the parking lot of Woodfords Church, 202 Woodfords St. in Portland. SNAP, EBT, Maine Harvest Bucks and Bumper Crop certificates are all accepted.
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