By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
Weeks before the official start of summer, Downriver communities will roll out this week to launch the season.
The seasonal offerings include the debut of the Taylor Farmer’s Market, sponsored by Oakwood Healthcare, which kicks off at 11 a.m. June 5. The market will be in the Sheridan Center open-air pavilion in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee.
City officials said the event will run each Friday through September from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and each week will include a theme to include prizes, health screenings, raffles, car shows and other special events.
Organizers said that an “Eat Better, Move More” walk around the park will begin each week’s market, by a partnership between the city, schools and Oakwood as part of a “Healthy Taylor” initiative launched in November.
More than 25 vendors have signed up for the market – and more are welcome. The site will be managed by an all-volunteer crew supported by a dozen sponsors. Vendors include food suppliers, artisans and crafters from throughout Downriver and the state.
Information on the market and vendor space availability is available at www.cityoftaylor.com or by calling 734-374-1450.
In Lincoln Park, the southwest corner of Southfield and Fort streets will welcome vendors selling produce, plants and flowers and specialty foods from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekly.
The event is a fairly new tradition in town, launched in 2007 with a winter event added in 2012 by Friends of the Lincoln Park Farmer’s Market and co-founders Christopher Dardzinski and Leslie Lynch-Wilson.
Organizers said the event is a member of the Michigan Farmers Market Association, which promotes similar events across the state to sell local food, produce, arts and crafts.
The market will be open each week through October, and additional vendors and sponsors are welcome. For more information visit the city’s website, www.lincolnpark.govoffice.com, or at 734-775-2267.
(James Mitchell can be reached at jmitchell@bewickpublications.com.)