The changing of the seasons signaled the first Dane County Farmer’s Market of the year Saturday.
The market has reached its 33rd season, enjoying a continuing popularity among vendors and Madisonians.
Despite the Crazy Legs race, market vendors braved the downtown bustle to set up shop around the Capitol loop.
“It was nice [that the city] coordinated the market with the Crazy Legs run,” vendor Gordy Kopke said. “A lot of people ran and then came back and shopped. It was a good day, a little cool and windy, but it wasn’t snowing.”
His flower business, Kopke’s Fruit of the Bloom, has been attending the Dane County markets for more than 20 years. He normally attends the market from spring to mid-summer when there are peak sales for potted flowers and hanging flower baskets.
As in most years, he said he is hopeful about this year’s summer market.
“I’m a farmer and I’m always an optimist,” he said. “It’s part of my job.”
Students agreed the summer market is a great way to start off Saturday mornings in Madison.
“It’s a fun start on Saturdays, and it is definitely one of the best places to pick up breakfast,” UW freshman Becky Remsha said.
The farmer’s market draws about 300 vendors who compete on a three-year waiting list to sell there, according to The Capital Times. The markets around the Capitol Square operate 52 weeks a year, rain or shine.
“The farmer’s market is a great Madison tradition,” Remsha said. “Having it right in front of the Capitol creates a great atmosphere, and it is one of the little things that makes my decision to be a student here that much better.”
Richard Green from Green’s Orchard, who has sold produce at the Farmer’s Market for 29 years, said he is also excited for the summer season to get into full swing. Like Kopke, Green also attends other markets in Madison.
“We attend the winter market at Monona Terrace,” Green said. “But we have primarily stayed with the Hilldale Market, and in the fall and winter we sell around the Capitol,” Green said.
The Hilldale Market is a smaller venue that operates both Wednesdays and Saturdays outside of Hilldale Mall. Green focuses more on selling at the Capitol Square market during the fall and winter when his apples are in season.
Green’s Orchard produces more than 60 varieties of apples as well as apple cider and vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce and pumpkins. He and his wife own a 35-acre farm in Dane County and plan on continuing to attend the Madison farmer’s markets for years to come.
The summer market is one of several Dane County markets, which also include Wednesday-morning markets on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and a winter holiday market at Monona Terrace and the Madison Senior Center.
The summer Wednesday markets begin April 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. around the Capitol.
