A Revitalized Old Town Farmers' Market
The smell of fresh flowers and produce fill the air. The sounds of family fun and wonderful live music flows through the area. The bright colors of artwork, greenery, and children’s painted faces surround you. Although this may sound like the local fair is in town, it's everything you can expect on a Saturday morning at the Old Town Farmers’ Market.
Start of the Revitalization Process
Luke and Amy Snow
In 2016, Luke and Amy Snow started the revitalization process of the Old Town Farmers’ Market. Because of their efforts, it's transitioned into a vibrant event!
Their vision was to bring life back into what was a declining market at the time. They wanted to bring in more local farmers and artisans and make the market an anticipated event each weekend.
Today, they have 20 local farmers who attend the market regularly along with a variety of other vendors including artisans, florists, crafters and food vendors. The Snows also bring in local musicians every week who play for two hours to entertain market goers, which adds another unique dimension to the event.
The Focus Now
Luke Snow’s focus now is to get the word out to the local community of this fun and local event and all it has to offer to the community.
His new addition for 2018 is the In Season Bistro, where you can order your meal and watch the cooks prepare right in front of you. The unique aspect of this bistro is that they first source their ingredients from farmers in the market—so everything is fresh, local, and prepared right in front of you!
Snow has also added a connection with local yoga studios in 2018, which now provide a free yoga session every morning on the pavilion beginning at 9 a.m., and often a second class beginning at 10 a.m.
What Vendors Have to Say
Peter and Kari Mader, owners of Falling Star Concessions, have been vendors at the downtown farmers’ market for more than six years selling their delicious homemade variety of teas and limeades.
After the revitalization, Mader said they have been seeing a younger crowd come through the market, which excites them. He said he would like to bring back more kid-oriented activities, which he is contributing toward by doing story time and playing guitar for the little ones at the market.
The other big and exciting difference is seeing all the new local people growing food and becoming farmers who are producing for their local community. Mader said there used to only be four or five farmers every week, and now there are at least 10 or more on a regular basis.
One Feather Farm, located in Park City, are first-timers at the market this year. Owners David and Robin Anderson said they were drawn to this market because of the “open space and natural, laid-back feeling” of the downtown market.
The Andersons are excited to bring their greens, hearty vegetables, chicken eggs, herbs, and possibly fruit to the community through this market. “I’ve been farming for a while,” Anderson said, “But this is the first time I’m able to produce for other people.”
The Andersons are hopeful that this market will be a step towards being able to farm full time and for One Feather Farm to consistently provide produce to the Wichita community.
Give the Farmers' Market a Try
“Wichita needs to know we’re here,” Snow said. He went on to say if you attended the market years ago and were not impressed, it is well worth giving it another shot now.
Snow is pleased to see that the attendance is already up from last year, and people are getting excited about having a lively market again. If you are looking to experience the fun and energy of downtown Wichita on Saturday mornings, you'll find it at the Old Town Farmers’ Market.
When: Every Saturday morning
April - August | 7 a.m. - 12 p.m.
September and October | 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Wichita’s Farm and Art Plaza
Located in front of the Museum of World Treasures at 1st Street and Mosely
835 E 1st Street North
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