Author: Daniel Strohl

Ready to return to shopping in-person again? We thought so. Starting February 19, you can see all your favorite vendors for the best in local produce, jams, spreads, meats, baked goods, handmade crafts, and more. We’ll have live music from the Hale Mountain Band and tote bags for sale to support the market. Come see us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 650 Main Street.

Still feel like shopping online for curbside pickup? We’ll continue to offer that option as well at BenningtonFM.EatFromFarms.com.

Either way, we’ll see you soon!

We’re online only for the month of January and possibly into February, so if you’re looking for your favorite local foods, make sure to place your online orders for our January 22 curbside pickup (and the February 5 curbside pickup) at https://benningtonfm.eatfromfarms.com ! We’ve added more vendors to the online store with more meats, veggies, eggs, breads, and baked goods to choose from, so check it out.

Looking for more veggies? Don’t forget to sign up for True Love Farm’s mailing list to get notified when online ordering opens for their produce at https://www.localline.ca/true-love-farm

Make sure to Like us here on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dgv5JL to get notified when we’ll bring back in-person markets. Hopefully it’s not too long!

UPDATE: We will be online only for the February 5 market as well. Check back here for the status of the February 19 market.

Along with in-person markets, we’re happy to bring back music to the winter market this year. Look for a mix of your favorites plus new acts that we’re sure you’ll enjoy!

November 20 – Hale Mountain Pickers
December 4 – Ransom Notes
December 18 – Michael Aaron
January 8 – Butchers and Thieves *
January 22 – Bennington Traditional Jazz Band *
February 5 – Jared Polens
February 19 – Hale Mountain Pickers
March 5 – Joe Chirchirillo
March 19 – Bennington Traditional Jazz Band
April 2 – Ransom Notes
April 16 – Dave Kellner

• We’ve suspended in-person shopping for January and have had to cancel the shows for that month.

While we’re preparing for our winter season, we still have a few dates left outdoors at the deer park, and we’ve lined up some special events for those dates, so mark your calendars:

October 9 – Pottery wheel demonstration with ceramic artist Erin Cross
October 16 – Annual members meeting to take place immediately after the market ends at 1 p.m. We will be voting in new board members, discussing the prior year, and panning for the year ahead. Bring your membership dues if not current and bring your ideas on how to continue improving the market!
October 23 – Summer poster signing with artist Forest Byrd
October 30 – Dog costume day! All dogs in costume get special treats courtesy Great Fields Downtown.

Hope to see you soon!

Interested in selling your locally produced items at the Bennington Farmers’ Market this winter? Make sure to fill out our winter vendor application, now available on BenningtonFarmersMarket.org. The sooner you submit your application, the better.

Also, mark your calendars for the following dates for our winter market. We’ll be returning to the cafeteria at the former junior high at 650 Main Street for in-person shopping starting the first weekend in November.

November 6 and 20
December 4 and 18
January 8 and 22
February 5 and 19
March 5 and 19
April 2 and 16

Online ordering and curbside pickup will be available throughout the winter market – stay tuned for details!

The Bennington Farmers’ Market is moving! Starting May 1, the market’s summer season will head a few blocks north to the wooded glen in front of the deer park, along Route 7 North.

“While we enjoyed many aspects of our previous summer location, we felt it was time to grow into a larger and more visible location, something the deer park will provide for the market,” said Daniel Strohl, the manager of the Bennington Farmers’ Market.

Generously provided by the Vermont Veterans’ Home, which manages the deer park, the new location is less than a mile from Bennington’s Four Corners and provides ample shaded green space for browsing the market’s growing roster of vendors. The new location also makes it possible for the market to continue to offer curbside pickup service for customers who choose to order their local produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, and other staples online. While the location lies a bit further from downtown, it remains easily reached by foot, by bike, or by public transit: Green Mountain Express serves the location multiple times on Saturdays during market hours.

In addition, a full lineup of music will return to the market this summer after COVID-warranted restrictions on music over the past year. Look for plenty of Bennington area favorites along with new musicians who will surely become favorites as well.

The additional space of the deer park also means that the market will be able to accommodate more community groups, local non-profits, and sponsors that wish to have a presence at the market. It will also allow the market to develop more programming, including demonstrations on gardening, beekeeping, and crafting.

The market was founded in 2002 as a year-round producer-only farmers’ market to provide fresh, healthy locally grown food to Bennington County. It remains an important venue for shopping local and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in the community.

The Bennington Farmers’ Market summer season runs from the beginning of May through the end of October, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday (rain or shine!). Admission is free, and parking is available by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce or in front of the District Court and State Office Building (100 Veterans Memorial Drive for those who prefer to navigate by GPS). Until further notice, masks and physical distancing are required of all vendors and customers at the market.

As we wrap up our winter market season, we’d like to take a moment to thank the entire crew at the former junior high school at 650 Main for hosting the Bennington Farmers’ Market this past winter. We enjoyed being a part of the transformation of the building over the last several months and we’re looking forward to seeing the continued improvements there when we return next winter.

According to Vermont’s phased reopening plan, announced today, all farmers’ markets, including ours, are allowed to operate under Universal Guidance (https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/universal-guidance#universal-guidance). That means we will continue to require all vendors and customers to wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and to stay home if sick.

We will also add a second hand washing station to our summer season outdoor market, starting May 1. Many thanks to Chris Callahan and the University of Vermont Extension services for providing both hand washing stations!

We’ve scheduled a full season of music at the summer farmers’ market, with plenty of original music and traditional favorites from local and regional musicians alike.* Love bluegrass? Jazz? Rock and roll? We’ve got a little bit of everything:

May 1 – Nate Martel
May 8 – Hillary Chase Sky Alan
May 15 – Bennington Traditional Jazz Band
May 22 – Hale Mountain Pickers
May 29 – Dave and Dave Duo
June 5 – Deb Cavanaugh
June 12 – Hillary Chase
June 19 – Ransom Notes
June 26 – Passin’ Thru
July 3 – Aura Shards
July 10 – Jared Polens
July 17 – Adela and Jude
July 24 – Lee Paquin
July 31 – Dave and Dave Duo
August 7 – Passin’ Thru
August 14 – Ron Hausthor
August 21 – Jared Polens
August 28 – Nate Martel
September 4 – Hale Mountain Pickers
September 11 – Deb Cavanaugh
September 18 – Dandelion Wine
September 25 – Dane Whitman
October 2 – Ron Hausthor
October 9 – Bennington Traditional Jazz Band
October 16 – Aura Shards
October 23 – Barry Hyman
October 30 – Cindy and Kelly

Make sure to come check out your favorite musicians every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the market’s new summer location at the deer park, across from Tastee Freeze (100 Veterans Memorial Drive).

If you or somebody you know would like to play at the Bennington Farmers’ Market, please email BenningtonFarmersMarket@gmail.com for more information.

*Performers are subject to change. 

Good news – we’ve given our vendors the option of setting up outside for in-person shopping in the month of April at our winter location on Main Street. We’ve missed seeing our customers and we’re eager to get back to setting up our tents and having you stop by. Stay tuned for more details!

For those of you who prefer to shop online for curbside pickup, we will continue to offer that option throughout the summer. Make sure to visit https://benningtonfm.eatfromfarms.com to see everything our vendors have to offer, from jellies, syrups, honey, meat, and baked goods to soaps and more!