Butler Farmers Market preparing for final weekend
Like every Saturday since the season began in late May, the Butler Farmers Market was bustling this past Saturday.
Mayor Bob Dandoy, who has been managing the market since long before he became mayor, said it has been a busy season, and customers and vendors have appreciated the renovations the city made to the market building.
He’ll have more time to reflect after Halloween, this coming Saturday, when the regular market season closes.
Oct. 31 will be a special day at the market — customer appreciation day and Halloween. Dandoy said a plethora of vendors will be selling goods, a couple prizes will be up for grabs, children will be able to enjoy free cookies and get their faces painted and the fire and police departments are bringing some of their vehicles for kids to see and touch.
“We’ll be overloaded with vendors next week,” Dandoy said.
Still, the market doesn’t completely close after Saturday. About six vendors will be there to sell their remaining inventories on the following three Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, he said.
As the market prepares to wind down, Dandoy said the community aspect of the market is his favorite part.
“It’s nice to just chat and visit and catch up with people,” Dandoy said.
He said he is happy with the number of people who have come to the market this summer and noted that he met someone from Australia at the market Saturday morning.
Only a few cold mornings the last few Saturdays have dissuaded people from shopping at the market, he said.
“We’re very pleased. It’s been a great year,” Dandoy said.
It is a far cry from the early years of the market when he had difficulty finding enough vendors to fill the stalls in the building.
“We don’t have that problem anymore,” Dandoy said.
He believes the renovation work at the market is part of the reason for the market’s popularity this year. The work included an expansion of the parking lot, more space for vendors, new garage doors, the addition of a restroom and a fresh coat of paint.
“I think it’s been a good investment for the community,” he said.
