The Klamath Falls Farmers' Market Continues to Grow
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Charile Wycoff, Manager of the Klamath Falls Farmers' Market chats with a vendor during the weekly event held each Saturday in Downtown Klamath Falls. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
If you go
When:
Every Saturday June thru October
Time:
9:00am - 1:30pm
Where:
9th Street between Main and Klamath
What:
Open air market where local growers, producers and artisans gather to sell to the public.
Every Saturday from early June to late October, locals and visitors alike gather to visit and shop at the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market, which is a weekly event that takes place 9:00 am to 1:30 pm in Downtown Klamath Falls.
For the last decade, Charlie Wycoff, Manager of the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market has set up the event for the public. Wyckoff arrives at 6:30am to prepare 9th Street between Main and Klamath for the market and to make it ready for the vendors to setup. It is not uncommon for Wycoff to be the last to leave when the day is complete either. In addition, he helps make sure problems don’t occur during the event.
Wyckoff takes pride in the various booths and vendors that are found at the Klamath Falls Farmers Market. “This event allows for many local businesses and people from all over the county to come together and unite as a community,” stated Wyckoff.
Jason Aarstad, Owner of Gathering Grounds Roastery offers locally roasted coffee at the Klamath Falls Farmers' Market. Aarstad also has a cafe located just down the street from the market. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
One of the more popular booths of the market is from Gathering Grounds Roastery. Gathering Grounds is owned and operated by Jason Aarstad. Aarstad’s official roastery is located just a few steps away from the market on 11th street; however, he makes it a goal for his business to attend every Saturday Farmers Market that he can. Aarstad believes that the Farmers Market allows for many local businesses to receive more recognition from the community then they would on their own.
Aarstad enjoys the Farmer’s Market and appreciates how it has affected his café. “The [Farmers’ Market] really helps a lot for exposure and reminding people that we exist,” says Aarstad.
Chely Pinkston, Owner of Chely's Salsa takes a moment from the busy morning for a photograph. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
Along with the Gathering Grounds Roastery, the Klamath Falls Farmers Market is made up of many local businesses that reside in the basin and try to come to the event every Saturday. Chely’s Fine Foods is prime example of one of these businesses found at the event. Owned and operated by Chely Pinkston, this booth grabs a lot of attention due to their large assortment of unique flavors of salsa.
Coming prepared for a busy day at the Klamath Falls Farmers Market, Chely brought as much salsa as she could. “I have all the Chely salsas including medium, medium-hot, and one with the Ripper, which is the hottest pepper in the world,” declared Chely.
Fresh produce is a stable item at the Klamath Falls Farmers' Market. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
Another local business at the event was Belweather Farm, which ended up selling out of all of their grown vegetables that they brought to the market. According to the producer and operator of the booth, Jordan Rainwater, the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market continues to gain more traction every year. “I have been attending the Klamath Falls Farmers Market for over 14 years, and over those past years the event has only grown in size as well as popularity,” says Rainwater.
An additional booth found at the Klamath Falls Farmers Market is Crater Lake Specialty Foods. This booth comes to the event every week from Malin where the actual business is located. Owner and operator of the business, Gary Zieg has been setting up at the market for over 5 years with his appetizing supply of pickled vegetables.
According to Zieg, “You can pickle just about any vegetable you can think of from green asparagus to orange carrots, either way, it’s going to be tasty.”
At the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market, you can find plenty of businesses selling vegetables as well as other unique, produced treats, but you can also find booths selling items like clothes, jewelry, and even artwork. Sleeping Bears Homestead is a business operated and owned by Elliot VanVandt. At their booth, VanVandt has a large assortment of art prints and stickers being sold, which were designed by himself. In addition, to art, freshly-cut bouquets of flowers as well as earrings and necklaces are also sold regularly at this booth.
The Klamath Falls Farmers' Market offers more than produce. Many of the booths feature local artisans. Offering home decorations to hand made jewelry. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
New to the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market, VanVandt only recently started selling his artwork at the event, but hopes he can continue. “The first Farmers’ Market that we attended was about 3 weeks ago, and since then, we have tried to be here every Saturday we can,” stated VanVandt.
Another business selling household items is the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market is the AntixGardner. This booth is owned and operated by Ginger Bustos-Gardner, and contains a large assortment of unique objects that are all related to farmhouses. So items like yard art, aprons, and even plants are prominently available to buy at this booth.
Along with many of the other businesses found at the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market, Bustos-Gardner agrees that there is not a more enjoyable place to be on a Saturday morning then at the event itself. “It is an awesome place and it is an awesome community to be a part of,” replied Bustos-Gardner.
A young woman tries out hand made flutes at the Klamath Falls Farmers' Market. June 30, 2018 (Brian Gailey)
If you are planning on attending the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market to buy unique items and healthy treats, this is the location to do that; however, it is also a neighborly place to meet new people as well as old friends. Maggie Polson and Annette Fowler are two friends that spotted each other at the event and decided to socialize with one another while they visited each booth.
Both friends enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market as well as it’s size. “I used to live in Minnesota in a small town, and this [market] is nicer than the market we have there. It’s larger and people are more friendly,” says Fowler.
The Klamath Falls Farmers' Market - Every Saturday 9:00am to 1:30pm, June through October.
No matter what you are looking for the Klamath Falls’ Farmers Market has what you need. Including; fresh local produce, hand crafted jewelry, personalized art, freshly cut flowers, locally roasted coffee, clothing, entertainment and more. Currently the market fills the entire street with no extra vendor space remaining. Wyckoff mentioned that he has a waiting list of vendors that want to participate. Each week he rotates some in and others out, keeping the vibe of the market fresh every week.
For more information on the Klamath Falls Farmers’ Market visit http://klamathmarket.wildapricot.org/ as well as give them a like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/klamath.falls.farmers.market/
Written by, Damian Johnson Intern for Klamath Falls News.
