From farm to market: First Cape farmers market opens Thursday; others will follow

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct information about the opening day of the Cape Riverfront Market.

Within the week, area farmers will pack up their produce and make their way to West Park Mall for the opening day of Cape Girardeau's farmers market season.

Beginning Thursday, the Cape Farmers Market will set up shop from noon to about 5 p.m. each Thursday until Thanksgiving at its new location in the back parking lot of West Park Mall.

The market switched locations after staking out the former Plaza Galleria parking lot for 27 years, said market manager Marilyn Peters. The property was bought by Wal-Mart for construction of a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

During the peak of the season, the market has from 300 to 500 visitors every Thursday, Peters estimated. Up to two dozen vendors offer products, including produce, plants, honey, organic soaps, meat, eggs, baked goods and maple syrup, she said.

Switching locations has its perks. The West Park Mall site allows more room for parking, and the market's entrance will be off Mount Auburn Road -- a major artery in Cape Girardeau from which the market also will be visible. Peters said they hope the new location also will bring more customers from the mall and surrounding businesses and hospital.

So far, the switch has received positive feedback, she said.

"I think for a lot of our customers, it will be much easier," Peters said.

Some of those same farmers market vendors will travel to the parking lot at 35 S. Spanish St. on May 3 to kick off the third year of the Cape Riverfront Market, beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until noon.

A few more vendors will offer products at the riverfront market this year, according to market manager Ross Peterson, also of Laughing Stalk Farmstead. Between 25 and 30 vendors, including produce and arts and crafts vendors, will have products for sale every Saturday into October for the 800 to 1,000 people who make their way downtown during the heart of summer, he said.

The riverfront market is open rain or shine and still has 50 to 100 "die-hard folks" who visit the market even during the nasty weather, Peterson said.

"Those days are fun in a different sort of way," he said.

Though the fruits and vegetables are "the heart of the market," Peterson said, "everything else is a strong part of it, and they all kind of work together in tandem, which makes a great market."

The riverfront market also will features live music and a free program for children age 5 to 12 called the Cape Marketeers Club. The educational program teaches children about food and nutrition, including growing, chemistry and biology aspects, Peterson said. Children may participate in the program on the second and fourth Saturdays from May to August. They also will receive two $1 tokens to spend at the market's fruit and vegetable stands.

Saturday morning's atmosphere is lively and full of conversation, Peterson said, whether between customers or those who visit the market just to enjoy the people, weather and music.

One of the perks of buying items from a farmers market is the farmer who grew the produce also is the person selling it, Peters said, and they can answer any questions about their produce, including how it was grown and the best way to prepare it.

Most of the farmers at the market grow their produce within 75 miles of Cape Girardeau, and buying their products is a great way to support the local economy and have some control over where a person's food originates, she said.

The Cape Riverfront Market and some individual vendors at the Cape Farmers Market accept SNAP benefits/EBT.

The Jackson Farmers Market begins May 6 and will be from 3 to 6 p.m. every Tuesday at 733 W. Independence St.

ashedd@semissourian.com

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