MarketFest - a larger version of the weekly Springfield Farmers Market - will have music, vendors

People turned out Saturday morning, June 17, 2023 for the Springfield Farmers Market located Market Street between COhatch and the Clark County Heritage Center. The Farmers Market offers a variety of fresh, local food and craft items. It is open every Saturday 9 AM -12:30 PM. BEN MCLAUGHLIN/STAFF

Credit: Ben McLaughlin

Credit: Ben McLaughlin

People turned out Saturday morning, June 17, 2023 for the Springfield Farmers Market located Market Street between COhatch and the Clark County Heritage Center. The Farmers Market offers a variety of fresh, local food and craft items. It is open every Saturday 9 AM -12:30 PM. BEN MCLAUGHLIN/STAFF

A way to bring the weekend feel to a weeknight will come Thursday when a popular summer Saturday morning favorite goes large.

MarketFest, a larger-scale version of the weekly Springfield Farmers Market, will pack Market Alley between COHatch and the Heritage Center with more vendors, live music and other attractions, 5-8 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free; the event is presented by the Greater Springfield Partnership.

Visitors can expect around 50 vendors, which will include not just some of the usual dealers offering a variety of fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses and other products, but items you wouldn’t normally find on a Saturday morning.

“While that’s the usual focus, there will be more artisans and makers as we widen the scope for this,” said Kristina Jarrell, GSP downtown events programmer. The goods will include items such as handmade woodwork, needlecraft, art and other items.

Attendees can enjoy live music as they shop with a concert by Springfield band The Factory Line, which performs songs with a combination of guitar, fiddle, mandolin, piano and organ.

A new feature will allow guests to be in on the action with the first Krazy Daze Cornhole Tournament. It will have two brackets, a serious and a social, with proceeds raised going to a local women’s shelter.

“We wanted to team up with a local business for this first-time feature and see what happens with it,” Jarrell said. “This is shaping up to be fresh and a lot of fun.”

MarketFest will be rounded out with food trucks and a beer garden.

To enter the cornhole contest or for more information on MarketFest, go to facebook.com/SpringfieldFarmMarket.

Future GSP events include a dog days theme for the Sept. 6 First Friday event and the sixth MustardFest, Sept. 20-21.

About the Author