Dearborn Farmers Market Kicks Off 5th Year

The Dearborn Farmers and Artisans Market, hosted by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, will kick off Friday at 8 a.m. with more than 20 vendors, thousands of visitors and–hopefully–no rain.

With the market now entering its fifth year, attendees this year can expect a mixture of the usual favorites and plenty of new things to buy, taste and see.

New vendors this year include the Ferndale-based ice cream shop Treat Dreams, which will be selling homemade pints of their regular and vegan ice cream; and Dearborn’s own Binell Brothers Cutlery and Supply Company, which will be sharpening attendees’ knives on site for a small fee.

But as always, the mixture will remain eclectic­: farmed goods and plants, garden art and clothing, kids activities, plus edibles of all sorts–including jams, baked goods, coffee, farm eggs and artisan cheese.

Notable participants will come from all over Michigan to participate. Detroit companies Avalon Bread and Traffic Jam and Snug will be bringing their unique foods to sell. Honey Bear Farms of Northville will specialize in all types of products from the hive. Gypsy Gardens of Plymouth will sell painted furniture and container gardens. And Captain John’s Smokehouse of Bad Axe will bring smoked salmon, whitefish and jerky to the table.

“We do have a few vendors from Dearborn, but I would say 90 percent don’t come from Dearborn,” explained Market Manager Joan Reed.

But it’s the mixture that makes it so appealing, added Reed, who has run the market since its inception.

“It’s a community activity,” she said of the market. “We have people educate visitors as far as eating good, healthy food.”

Which can even include the occasional hot dog from another Dearborn-based vendor, Binkey’s Hot Dog and Sausage. That appeal may be especially important as the Farmers Market expects to welcome more school groups than ever before.

This year, Reed said, she sent out letters to Dearborn principals inviting schools to send their kids to the market for a day of education and learning healthy eating.

“We’d love to have the school kids come over as a field trip, because there are activities for children every week,” Reed said. “In addition, it’s a good way for the students to be educated about what is being grown and made right here in Michigan.”

Other groups will benefit from the market, too, including those who are on government assistance programs for buying food. The Dearborn Farmers and Artisans Market accepts Bridge Cards, and for the first time ever, is part of the Double Up Food Bucks program, which allows users to double the amount of food hey take home when using their card.

The Market will run every Friday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the parking lot behind until Oct. 28. However, with something new each week, a one-time visit may not be enough.

This Week at the Dearborn Farmers and Artisans Market

• Kids activity: Memorial Day streamers
• Virtual Theatricality Rap, a motion detection movie demonstration by the
• Cooking demonstration by Bangkok 96
• Free blood pressure screenings and a review of the Gift of Life Program, presented by Oakwood Healthcare

For more information, visit the Dearborn Farmers and Artisans Market website, or find them on Facebook.