糖心Vlog传媒

Under a high, azure sky without a single cloud, Jag curled her claws into the sun-warmed, black fabric of Brereton鈥檚 sweatshirt and snoozed with one eye open in the warm morning sunshine. Meanwhile, hundreds of visitors to the long-running farmers market bustled back and forth across the pedestrian bridge over the Rock River at the ARISE Town Square.

Typically, the first few spring weekends at any Midwestern farmers market can be a bit light on produce as the growing season eases into play.

But Brereton and his pet iguana, which he keeps on a red, house cat-sized harness when he brings the pet out in public, considered the market鈥檚 2022 opener a win.

鈥淲e got her some kale,鈥� Brereton said, pointing at Jag as she rested against his chest. 鈥淪he loves to eat kale. In fact, we get Jag most of her greens and micro greens from a vendor here at the farmers market, and that鈥檚 exactly what we got today. It was a beautiful day for it.鈥�

Hundreds of others came and went Saturday from the market鈥檚 season opener, a kickoff that featured an even blend of produce sellers, bakers, artisans, farm-fresh meat sellers and food truck operators. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee mingled the brittle, sweet tang of hot kettle corn for sale while a music group called the Frank and Co. Band played for tips and the love of The Beatles and Elvis Presley under one of the town square鈥檚 pavilions.

In all, market manager Emily Arthur said Saturday was the biggest vendor turnout she has seen in her time at the helm of the nonprofit farmers market. Even amid a cold-start spring that has kept the choke pulled out on the growing season, the market had 83 of 85 vendor spots filled Saturday鈥攁 blend of growers, artisans and makers that kept town square鈥檚 concourses on both sides of the river hopping all morning.

Arthur said she is hearing from local farm market growers that a chilly and predominately wet spring has set some spring and early summer produce鈥攕trawberries and asparagus, particularly鈥攂ehind at least a few weeks.

But she said growers haven鈥檛 signaled they think a dearth of early-season veggies is afoot. And while the downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 market typically has favored produce sellers over peddlers of arts and crafts, Arthur said area artisans who create items from pottery to paintings to woodcraft to hand-crocheted wall hangings will feature heavier in the market鈥檚 early weeks this year.

The market, she said, has several new boutique farm vendors signed on this year. One such vendor is Kirby Bivans, who runs Old School Farmstead, a lavender field and emporium in Allen鈥檚 Grove, a small Walworth County burg between Darien and Clinton.

Bivans launched his lavender farm last year, and he has harvested about 2,000 plants, allowing him to hit 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 market for the first time with products including lavender flowers by the bundle, lavender-infused balsamic vinaigrette and lavender face scrubs and beard oils.

Bivans sold his products late last fall and over the winter at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Farmers Market鈥檚 winter market, which has been held the last few years at Uptown 糖心Vlog传媒.

As he rang up one woman鈥檚 order, a spray bottle of lavender-infused dog deodorizer, Bivans said he recognized some repeat customers from the winter market. Now they鈥檙e outdoors, browsing among more than 80 vendors on the downtown鈥檚 riverfront鈥攁 place Bivans said he saw for the first time ever Saturday.

The farmers market runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the town square every Saturday between May and October.

Bivans this spring, summer and fall will get to see the farmers market continue to grow and transform throughout its second season on the riverfront. Last year, the market moved from its home of 15 years on North Main Street.

It was a move that came with some angst for those involved in the market who were still feeling the financial burn from 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic year that forced the market to run under strict crowd limits. The market鈥檚 leadership had worried a move would inject turmoil into a new market season in 2021 just as pandemic-driven government limits on crowds and public gatherings were easing.

But last year, the farmers market saw a big rebound in both foot traffic and spending as customers began to return unmasked to the market.

If foot traffic mimics last years, Bivans later this year could get to experience some market crowds of 4,000 or 5,000 visitors.

Already, he said, he likes what he sees.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic, just really cool. This is with live music and all the other shops around,鈥� Bivans said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been to this part of 糖心Vlog传媒, the center of town. But the activity here, it really makes me want to come back.鈥�