Saturday Market is another of the signature events on the Washington waterfront that deserves the community’s support.

This year, Saturday Market begins at 8 a.m. April 20. A visit to Saturday Market has become a Saturday-morning ritual for many folks, including some from places like Greenville and New Bern.

Saturday Market offers area farmers, food producers and others weekly opportunities to market their goods to area residents and out-of-town visitors lucky enough to be in Washington during the Saturday Market season, which runs from mid-April 16 to mid-October

Saturday Market is much more than just a place to buy locally raised strawberries, tomatoes, squash and flowers. Saturday Market is not just about selling locally baked bread and buying locally made jellies and jams to put on that bread.

Saturday Market is a social network. It allows area residents and visitors to mingle, chat and develop new relationships and enhance existing relationships. In some ways, Saturday Market evokes the Saturdays of days past, when rural folk would come to town on Saturdays, spending most of their time stocking up on goods, exchanging news and socializing.

On the second Saturday of each month, the Artisan Fair becomes a component of Saturday Market, providing another venue for area artists to showcase their artwork.

The hard-working folks at the Washington Harbor District Alliance organize and manage Saturday Market. They deserve praise for offering Saturday Market to the area.