By Staff
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
From locally grown strawberries and vine-ripened tomatoes to artwork created by area artists, this season of Saturday Market offers a variety of items to please most of the five senses.
Saturday Market, sponsored by Downtown Washington on the Waterfront, returns May 2 and continues each Saturday through Oct. 10. Saturday Market begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon. The Farmers Market component of Saturday Market will be held each Saturday during the season at the west end of Stewart Parkway near the dock attendant’s office.
On the second Saturday of each month from May through October, the Art Expo segment of Saturday Market will take place adjacent to the caboose at the corner of West Main and Gladden streets. Art Expo is sponsored by DWOW and the Beaufort County Arts Council.
During past Saturday Markets, vendors have included farmers, fishmongers, nursery and greenhouse owners, bakers and mushroom growers. The arts council will assist DWOW in screening artists for the Art Expo to ensure high-quality work from area artists is displayed. Vendors and artists will have help when they arrive early Saturday mornings to set up, Fields said. About 10 DWOW volunteers help set up and run each Saturday Market, he noted.
Beth Byrd, DWOW’s part-time administrative assistant, said she’s been contacted by several vendors who were eager to sign up for this year’s season.
Other people are calling, too, apparently anxious for Saturday Market to begin its 2009 run.
This season, Saturday Market is starting later than usual, Byrd said. In past years with earlier opening dates, there was not that much locally grown produce available, she said. A later opening date should remedy that situation, Byrd said.
Look for that expanded produce section to include organically grown produce, Miller said. Two or three producers of such produce are planning to sell their goods at Saturday Market, he said.
Nonprofit groups such as Friends of the Brown Library will sell books and videotapes, including those about gardening and nutrition, Miller said. Members of the Beaufort County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about gardening, identify insects and weeds that may threaten gardens and accept soil samples from people wanting their soils analyzed, Miller said.
Vendors who want to participate in Saturday Market should visit www.washingtononthewater.com and click on the “guidelines complete the application” link, or call the DWOW office at (252) 946-3969.