The 2023 Farmers’ Market in Lake George kicked off its season Wednesday morning with vendors selling a wide variety of products including fresh produce, flowers, artisan foods and beverages, apparel, jewelry, gift and décor items. “I usually have all 40 vendor spaces filled,” said Market Manager Stephanie Benn, “but I lost three this week so…” she stops to do the math, “We have 37 today.”
The market, which sets up each Wednesday in front of Shepard Park, was initially scheduled to start the 2023 season two weeks ago but canceled because of the hazardous air quality caused by Canadian wildfires. The threat of severe thunderstorms forced cancelation again last week. “We’re right on the lake,” says Benn, noting it is not a safe place to be when a thunderstorm rolls through.
The Gomez Farms tent took a central spot in the market with bins of fresh leaf lettuce, bundles of scallions and chard, piles of turnips, summer squash, cucumbers and overfilled hanging baskets of flowers. Other food producers offered freshly prepared Indian cuisine, Italian Ices, exotic jerky, hot fudge sauce, honey, garlic and maple products, pickles and preserves, freshly squeezed lemonade, hard cider and spirits. Several vendors were offering free samples. Benn said she drew from the variety to make her lunch, pairing lettuce and squash with pesto from Renaissance Artisanal Pesto.
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Shoppers looking for gifts, or something for themselves, could browse an eclectic mix of hand-crafted goods including jewelry, artisan soaps and lotions, clothing, customized gift items, wood crafts, pottery and art. Further into the park, in the shade of a maple tree, a face painter entertained children.
Caitlin Stanton of Lake George Apparel had brought an array of hoodies, baby onesies, baseball caps and bucket hats, t-shirts and tank tops all carrying Lake George Apparel’s unique logo — the familiar silhouette of Lake George superimposed over a compass. The clothing, says Stanton, is all organic and made in the USA. The company’s newest venture is co-branding with the Lake George Association, a not-for-profit organization that has been protecting Lake George’s water quality since 1885. Stanton says that a significant portion of the proceeds from LGA-branded items that they sell go to the organization to support its mission.
The 2023 Farmers’ Market will be held Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., through September 6. Shoppers may park free for 15 minutes directly in front of the market on Canada Street (between the curb and the orange cones.)
