Around 7am every Saturday morning, dozens of vendor tents are pitched, fresh vegetables, flowers, and baked goods are unloaded from trucks, hand-made arts and crafts are carefully arranged, the scent of freshly prepared sambusas and fire-roasted chilies fills the air and the main parking lot of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre begins its weekly transformation into a hub for local commerce. For over a decade, the Farmers Market at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre has welcomed hundreds of shoppers seeking fresh produce and local goods every Saturday morning. And with the recent change in management this past summer, the Farmers Market has experienced a revitalization that includes an expanded number of vendors, product options, a community booth and unveiling this weekend, the use of the Front Porch as a space to enjoy live music from the Free Rangers and Saturday morning cocktails.
Since August, Katie Provow, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market Manager, has been diligently working to improve the Market offerings and activities. Immediate enhancements include increasing the number of weekly vendors to over 100, facilitating the return of local farm producers, hosting a community booth that offers programming focused on wholesome food, home economy and sustainable living, offering local non-profit organizations the opportunity to share information with the public via the free non-profit booth space and welcoming the St. Johns County Public Library’s Bookmobile the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. This Saturday, November 4, will mark another major addition to the Market – the opening of the Front Porch during Market hours. The Front Porch will host live music from beloved Market musicians, the Free Rangers, a selection of new arts and crafts vendors, food and beverage options including St. Augustine Distillery-curated cocktails that incorporate fresh, local ingredients purchased from Market vendors as well as tables and chairs for Market goers to sit back, relax and enjoy their drinks, food, live music and overall Market conviviality.
“The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market has been a lively local tradition for years,” Katie said. “We are honored for the opportunity to carry it on, and to work with all of the great vendors and Amphitheatre staff to make the Market a community hub for wholesome food, home economy, and sustainable living. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is such a beautiful venue for a market, and the Front Porch will offer much-needed space for visitors to relax and spend Saturday morning with us.” The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market additions and enhancements will continue in the future with plans to accept Snap/EBT, further booth space expansion, and the possibility of additional market events.
For more information on the Market, visit www.staugamphitheatre.com/p51-farmer-s-market.
