Business & Tech

Huntley Farmers Market Starts its Sixth Season

Market opens at 8 a.m. Saturday on Coral Street in downtown Huntley.

Cathy Piwko helps out at the Huntley Farmers Market every year, and every year she finds it becomes a place to catch up with friends and neighbors.

“It’s fun to talk to everyone and catch up,” Piwko said, who also likes buying the fresh produce. She finds the farmers market produce lasts longer. She loves the onions and tomatoes from Wagner’s Produce.

The farmers market has become part of the fabric of Huntley that helps to keeps its small-town roots alive.

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The market returns this weekend for a sixth season with the theme “Plant Your Garden Day.”

There will be free entertainment in the gazebo and a kids area with seed planting and crafts, sponsored by Wayne’s Homegrown Fruits and Vegetables.

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Themed events will be happening monthly at the Saturday market, held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 11704 Coral St., off the downtown square.

Huntley Farmers Market started with three vendors and a goal of showcasing local farmers, said Barb Read, Huntley management assistant and market supervisor.

Every year it has been growing and now has 19 vendors, she said. Five or six vendors have been added to this year’s market, she said.

A few of the new vendors include Polish delicacies; Royal Oak Farm, which will have berries and plants in the spring and summer then have apples and apple doughnuts, and Station Street School Bistro.

Huntley chef Denise Gray is returning with her popular cooking demonstrations. She will be at the market once a month. Read said the demonstrations are popular.

Read has been getting calls from vendors all winter. The Huntley Farmers Market is going strong and getting bigger every year, she said.

It is faring better than other markets, like the Algonquin Farmers Market, which called off its season this year.

She hopes people in Algonquin will come to Huntley’s market.

An average of 300 to 400 people visit the market every Saturday, Read said. She feels that the family-friendly events, like kids activities and entertainment, help make it successful.

“It’s amazing,” said Read, adding that she went to several conferences on farmers markets this winter. “For our size, we are ahead of the mark.”


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