Eight More Weeks of Fun at the West Seneca Farmers Market
The 16-week market is halfway over, and the Town wants to finish strong as it continues to build up “Thursdays at the Town”!
West Seneca, NY – The West Seneca Farmers Market was one of five farmers markets nominated for the Buffalo News’ Best of 716 Award! Organizers hope to finish strong and earn the title with new exciting elements in the second half of the market, including the addition of an alpaca farm. Yes, an alpaca farm is coming soon with actual animals to pet and warm gloves to purchase. As a smaller weekday market, West Seneca knows they have some strong competition, but their secret weapon is how great “Thursdays at the Town” has become.
The West Seneca Farmers Market, sponsored by the WNY Federal Credit Union is coordinated by the Town of West Seneca in partnership with the West Seneca Chamber of Commerce. It is a 16-week market that began May 18th and will continue for another 8 weeks until it concludes on September 7th of this year. This market is held on the grassy hill next to Town Hall at the corner of Union Road and Main Street every Thursday from 4-7pm. It hosts about 40+ local vendors and two nonprofits each week. The unique location of the market sets it apart, with it being on grassy space, with trees for shaded area over the picnic tables, and it being located right in the center of Town in a very visible location.
You may have noticed that there is a lot of activity at Town Center on Thursdays in the summertime. This started to form organically, and then Town leadership began to further develop this theme strategically. Picture this – you can start your day at 9:00am with a coffee or tea over at Spot Coffee, take out a book from the library and head over to the Town Pool, Splash Pad, and Inclusive Playground. Maybe you purchase some food or a snack from the new food truck scheduled to arrive (one at a time) beginning this Thursday. Later, you walk over to the Farmers Market on the hill at 4:00pm, purchase some dinner/snacks, or whatever you may need. Then, you come down to the Lions Bandshell for their Thursday Concert Series at 7pm or catch a baseball game before heading home as the sun sets over the town. You might not have time or the schedule to accomplish all of that in one day, but the opportunities are there for families and residents of any age.
“The theme of ‘Thursdays at the Town’ has started to form legs and West Seneca is becoming “the place to be” on a Thursday in the summertime. The West Seneca Farmers Market is a major element of this, and we want to continue to creatively build up each of the amenities and partnerships hand-in-hand at the Town Center so to contribute positively to the success of each. Whether it be people, families, businesses, or communities, everything works better when you are working together as one body. That is what the Town is working to accomplish every day through small improvements and creative solutions in all areas” said Gary Dickson, West Seneca Town Supervisor.
The local market vendors are the face of the market. As small businesses, you can see their passion, handwork, and talents by having one conversation with them. The market is a way to connect with one another, but especially with small local business owners.
“This is my third year participating in the market and I have to say this has been such a good year! The foot traffic and sales have been amazing! I’m already looking forward to next year and I’m working on a lot of new items. Thank you for helping us local/small businesses!” said, Korri Spadone, Owner of Korri’s Home.
The market coordinators also like to experiment with different creative elements to see what the community enjoys, in collaboration with other community groups and residents. This year, they have added a new food composting pilot program, proposed and led by one of our West Seneca residents (who wishes to remain anonymous). People can visit the Farmer Pirates educational table where they can learn more about what can be composted and are then given access to the composting bin located at the bottom of the hill for residents to use at no charge. This pilot program is a way to spread education, provide resources, and help the local environment. To learn more, you can visit: https://www.farmerpirates.com/westseneca
“This Farmers Market also features various food trucks and some acoustic music so you can stop by with your family for dinner or on your way home from work. It is a great way for people on any spectrum of the lifespan to find community, connect with local businesses, and enjoy this great Town that we live in.” said Joe Kirchmyer, West Seneca Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.
Coordinators are adding in some themes to the last half of the market. This week, Thursday, July 20th will be themed “Christmas in July” and vendors who wish to bring in holiday-themed items will have them ready for customers that want to get in the holiday spirit a little early. You will also see a new donut vendor who will make the donuts right in front of you! Next week, Thursday, July 27th the Market will move down near the Lions Bandshell for the Terry Buchwald performance which will surely draw a crowd. The market typically loses some visitors and vendors during the two weeks of the Erie County Fair, so to draw more back, the market will host back-to-back “Kids Day” themes on August 3 and August 10th. After that, on August 31st, the “Let’s Go Buffalo” will kick in with Buffalo Bills, Bandits & Sabres themed items from the vendors. To finish out the market strong, the last day, September 7th will be themed “Dog Days of Summer” with an animal rescue element.
If you want to view some of the activity thus far at the Farmers Market, you can check out the new Town Instagram Account, or past postings on the Town Facebook Page and Chamber-led West Seneca Farmers Market Page, as well as the Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page.
“Creativity, positivity, and collaboration are some of the ways we can continue to help West Seneca move forward together as a community” said Gary Dickson, West Seneca Town Supervisor.
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