Laura, left, and Mike Bogacz of Pittsburgh Artisanal Soap Company talk with Jeff Stirland of Spur Hollow Farm a Butler City Farmers' Market last year. Butler Eagle file photo

Many of the items for sale at the Butler City Farmers’ Market go directly from the farm to a vendor’s booth in the barn at 209 S. Chestnut St.

Mayor Bob Dandoy, manager of the market, said the freshness of the foods available at the weekly bazaar is one of the main reasons it is so popular with locals. The other major reason is the community that grows among market shoppers.

“Some of the offerings there you can't get anywhere else. Many times what you are buying from a vendor that morning was in the ground earlier in the morning,” he said. “(Visitors) stop, they linger, they talk about what's going on. It really makes for a great Saturday morning over the summer.”

The Butler City Farmers’ Market opens at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, and Dandoy said people he has talked to already are excited to shop. He said all of the vendor spots for opening day and beyond have been filled, further growing excitement for the community.

“The last several years, we've really expanded as far as the number of vendors, we're probably on average 18 to 20 down there,” Dandoy said. “We have our regulars, people who are massive supporters of them.”

The market will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Saturday through October, and Dandoy said the availability of different types of products, from soaps and candles to prepared foods, has allowed the market to stay open through October in recent years.

Dandoy also said many vendors are returning this year, and there will be some new ones on Saturdays throughout the summer. Some of the returning vendors include Spur Hollow Farm, Grandma Betty's Homemade Cookies and Pond Hill Farm.

“I don't know if there's anyone down there where I don't have their products in my home,” Dandoy said.

Many of the vendors who are signed up for the market will be there throughout the summer, but Dandoy said a few may be there for a few weeks in a row and then be off for one or two weeks.

Dandoy said he expects opening day to be particularly busy, and for the market to remain popular throughout the summer.

“I enjoy the people, I enjoy being there on a Saturday morning,” Dandoy said. “I find it relaxing, I find it comfortable.”