The Seaside Farmers Market has become a staple of summer in Seaside. Now in its ninth year and one of Seaside’s eight stops on the North Coast Food Trail, the market offers fresh produce and artisan goods and draws a multitude of locals and tourists alike each Wednesday throughout the summer season.
Gourmet foods, hummus, nuts, honey, tea, spices, and kettle corn are just some of the goods offered. Patrons can grab lunch from one of the food trucks. Local Boy Grinds creates Hawaiian barbeque dishes and Burly and the Bean offers fresh locally-roasted coffee. Other vendors include wineries and spirts, health and wellness products, handcrafted art and jewelry, and educational organizations and services.
“What I love most about the market is how it provides a place where people who are passionate about what they do have an opportunity to grow their dreams,” Market Manager Angi Wildt says. “At the same time, it’s a place where the community can come out to share in and support those dreams while enjoying music and having lunch, catching up with friends, and getting cooking tips from their local farmer.”
Managing the market is a year-round effort. Wildt spends her winter and spring months recruiting and selecting vendors, many of whom return year after year. “It takes all the various elements, from the farmers, makers, musicians, chefs, and visitors to keep the heart of the market beating,” Wildt says. Under her leadership, the market has grown each year and continues to gain a following.
The market’s longest-standing farmers include A&B Farms, known for their fresh berries, and Blackberry Bog Farms & Bakery, which offers locally grown produce and flowers as well as baked goods. “We’ve been able to grow along with the market,” says Scott Thompson, owner of Blackberry Bog Farms & Bakery. “It’s a wonderful place for local producers to meet the community.”
Marketgoers are treated to music, featuring different acts each week. “I’m very excited that Brownsmead Flats will be playing this summer!” says Wildt. “They are a much loved, iconic local band. We have several great bands who found time in their schedules for us this year.”
Another feature of the market is an effort to stretch patron dollars through partnerships with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Double Up Food Bucks Program (DUFB). When patrons charge money on their EBT cards, they are given tokens to use for food. The SNAP program gives patrons an additional $10 for food, and the DUFB program provides another $20 that patrons can use for produce.
Be sure to stop by the Seaside Farmers Market when you visit. The market is open 2 to 6 pm every Wednesday from June 15 to September 28 this season in the big lot next to the Seaside Welcome Center at Highway 101 and Broadway.
