It’s time for Dixon melon, corn on the cob, beans, onions, cabbage, and juicy tomatoes. At the peak of harvest, the Whitefish Downtown Farmer’s Market teems with fresh garden goodies as fall specialties line up in stalls.
The downtown market in front of the O’Shaughnessy Center winds down this month with its final two Tuesday lineups of stalls on September 18 and 25. “It’s been a very successful year,” says Jan Metzmaker, Director of Whitefish Visitor Bureau. “We had amazing weather and didn’t get rained out once.”
In its final two weeks, the market supplements its squash and leeks with a contest for next year’s poster design. Artists submit an original 11” by 17” poster containing the words, “Downtown Whitefish Farmer’s Market” and its motto “You Can Eat the Scenery.” To enter, submit artwork at the Village Shop in downtown Whitefish by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 14. At the last downtown markets, shoppers vote for their top choice. Sponsored by Feury and Company and the Finn Biscuit, prizes for the top three artists will be in the form of “market money” redeemable during the 2008 season.
Meanwhile, the farmer’s market held on Thursdays at the Pin and Cue has closed for the season. Most summers, it runs through September, but a lackluster end-of-season business sent farmers packing produce back home.
Once the downtown market ends, shoppers still have one last shot at buying home grown from their favorite local farmers. On Tuesday, October 16, Whitefish reprises its downtown market with special fall harvest goodies like apples, pumpkins, and cider. The harvest market just features produce, no craft stalls. Metzmaker laughs, “I picture lots of zucchini.”