Fruit and vegetables will no longer take over Second Street on Friday afternoons this summer in Langley.
The farmers market has been moved near Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, which makes more room for vendors and customers and should provide better parking, said Benjamin Courteau, market manager.
Second Street Market is no longer its name but simply Langley Farmers Market.
The new location is the corner of 6th Street, Cascade and Camano Avenues next to WICA.
Opening day is from 1-5 p.m. Friday, May 4. The season runs through September 28.
“We changed location for a few reasons,” Courteau said. “The move of the middle school and the creation of the community center opened up an opportunity to use the parking lot by the old school bus barn next to WICA.”
Also, as Langley grows busier with visitors, even on Fridays, the closure of Second Street was becoming more disruptive to traffic flow, he said. That location was also small and limited growth.
“We only had one hour for setup, which was not enough time for some potential vendors, and we couldn’t be open as early as we wanted to,” said Courteau, who opened Flying Bear Farm, a flower retail store on First Street last year. “The new location is in the middle of Langley, easily visible and accessible and has lots of parking.”
New vendors have already signed up, including Bell’s Farm and Amber’s Acres. Returning farms include Full Cycle Farm, Cedar Hill Farm, Blackberry Moon and Hayton Farms.
“Since we have lots of new space to grow, we’re still accepting new vendors,” Courteau said. “In particular, we are looking for prepared food and food truck vendors.”
Coupeville was to kick off farmers market season on Whidbey Island April 7 but high winds may postpone opening day.
“We will open with a small contingent of vendors,” said Peg Tennant, manager for Coupeville Farmers Market. “How long we stay open will depend on the weather.”
The National Weather Service issued a high wind alert for Island County.
The Coupeville Farmers Market hits the 40-year mark this year and Oak Harbor celebrates 25 years.
Opening dates are:
Coupeville: April 7
Bayview: April 28
SW Tilth Market: April 29
Langley: May 4
Oak Harbor: May 31
