Hopkinsville’s Downtown Farmers Market opening this weekend

The market will scale back to one day a week, open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays in the Founders Square Pavilion.

Opening day for the Downtown Farmers Market is Saturday, April 16, in the Founders Square Pavilion with vendors who will be selling seasonal produce, crafts, flowers, eggs and meat. 

The market is scaling back to one day a week this year and will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through Sept. 24. 

Previously the market was also open on Tuesdays during the spring and summer seasons, but interest among vendors waned for a weekday market. 

Laura Faulkner, who manages the market for Community and Development Services, attributed the change partly to a shift in habits among customers and vendors. Some of that occurred as a result of the pandemic, she said. 

“There’s a different perspective on work-life balance,” said Faulkner. 

The market traditionally relied on a social atmosphere where many shoppers were attracted to the downtown pavilion as a gathering place. But in 2020 and 2021, concerns over COVID-19 put a damper on that atmosphere. 

Now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, Faulkner said she hopes the market can regain footing as people feel more comfortable getting out and mingling. 

Among the vendors who are returning this weekend, Nolt Homestead will be selling eggs and meat, and Free Range Flowers at Martin Farm will have flower bouquets for an abbreviated season ending the Fourth of July. 

The market accepts cash, debit and credit cards, and EBT and WIC vouchers. 

Faulkner said her office is exploring options for a few evening markets this summer with food demonstrations. Details will be announced later. 

Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.