The Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market will make historic McCulloch Park its home this summer as it prepares for its permanent relocation to Electric Works in 2022, and to accommodate its growing list of vendors.
The market will begin its summer outdoor season on Saturday, May 15, with more than 60 local and regional vendors expected to participate. It will move to two days a week beginning June 16, operating from 3–7pm each Wednesday and 9am–1pm each Saturday through the summer. The market will feature live entertainment at the park’s gazebo, as well as other family-friendly activities throughout the summer. Multilingual signage and banners will be present as well.
“McCulloch Park offers us so many wonderful advantages, especially the ability to accommodate more farmers and vendors,” said Leigh Rowan, director of Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market. “We are thrilled to be able to offer an even more inclusive, community-focused experience for our vendors and guests beginning this May geared toward a variety of cultures and backgrounds. The support and coordination of the Parks Department, the Electric Works team and Weigand Construction have been important in helping get us to this exciting next step for the market.”
Increasing the market frequency to two days a week is the next step in the Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market’s longer-term plan for its permanent establishment at Electric Works beginning next year.
“Providing increased access to healthy, locally sourced food has been a core component of the Electric Works vision since the beginning,” explained Jeff Kingsbury of the Electric Works development team. “Leigh and her vendors from throughout the region have worked hard to build a world-class market and provide the community an exceptional market experience — we’re honored to partner with them to improve accessibility and equity when it comes to healthy food options for all of Fort Wayne and beyond.”
Founded in 2012, the Ft. Wayne Farmers Market is the only year-round, producer-only market in northeast Indiana. The market offers a variety of products from dozens of vendors ranging from farm and garden, home-based and professionally prepared foods that are minimally processed, natural products, and local artisans. It’s also developed its own farm-inspection program. For more information, visit ftwaynesfarmersmarket.com.