Three Cheers!
The most beautiful sunrise over our final market of 2024 last Saturday
Three Cheers!
Twenty seasons down. Where does the time go?
From a small group starting with a short season in 2005, we've grown to 60 annual vendors, moved twice and survived a pandemic. Call us resilient, determined or call us well loved by our community. All true things.
We know for sure we'd never have made it this far without the help and support of those in our market community.
Since 2023, we've been graciously hosted by University Research Park. We are so thankful they have given us a place to call home, especially nestled within the beautiful oak trees and prairie plantings that provide shade and plenty of wildlife sightings throughout the season.
Our neighbors over at Exact Sciences deserve some recognition this year, as all good neighbors do. During the lot repaving of the early summer, they kindly opened their lots for customer parking, making a least one construction season a breeze. More than neighborly, we want to thank them for their grant support, which will provide new signage and update FoodShare script for the 2025 season.
Speaking of our FoodShare program, we wouldn't be able to do it without the devoted help of our Info Tent volunteers. These wonderful folk brave heat, rain, wind (and the occasional perfect weather day) to assist all of our shoppers with market questions, FoodShare transactions and more.
Our FoodShare shoppers also know the joys of the Double Dollars program, which would not be possible without the program organization from the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin. For eleven seasons the Double Dollars program has helped so many families have access to deliciously healthy local food from the market.
Behind the scenes, the WCM Board of Directors help keep the market running smoothly and maintain a great balance of vendors to bring our shoppers plenty of variety. We also would be amiss in not recognizing the longstanding support of Barry Orton. Both at market and in the background, Barry has been instrumental since before the first market was held back in 2005. Our hats off to you Barry!
Of course we need to shout out all of our vendors, both past and present who've made these twenty years well worth it. Long days & all sorts of weather are tough enough to deal with, and that's just market days. The labors of our farmers, growers & food crafters make it all possible for us to host a market, we salute you all and are happy to reap (or eat) the rewards of your hard work.
Another shout out to our supporting players on market days; the musicians of the Market Ramblers and the Starr Grass Band for keeping us dancing, the tabling groups who engage with our shoppers and provide activities for kids.
Finally, give it up for you, our loyal market customers! Some of you have stuck with us through it all over these twenty season, some have joined up through one location change or another and some are brand new starting in 2024. We can't express properly our gratitude for the support, but we can tell you that you make it all worth while and we'll continue to work our hardest to bring the best in locally raised and made food, flowers and plants to the west side community.
It's something special to see the market appear out of nowhere each week, bringing so many people together before disappearing back into the night. Twenty years may seem like a long time, but we're just getting started.
Find us back inside University Research Park next spring for season twenty-one. We can't wait.
See you all April 12th, 2025!
Ben Zimmerman
Market Manager
Hats Off
It takes a full crew of folks to bring our market community together, both at market and behind the scenes. We want to give an extra thank you to all those listed below who made the market come to life this season.
University Research Park:
Aaron Olver, Managing Director
Grace Maass, Executive Administrative Assistant
Matt McConnell, Assistant Director of Facilities and Asset Management
Exact Sciences:
Katie Boyce, Senior Director, Corporate Impact and Community Relations
Julie Koch, Corporate Impact Operations Coordinator
Market Staff, Volunteers & Double Dollars Program Support:
- Sue Brown, Info Tent Volunteer
- Margit Moses, Info Tent Volunteer
- Sandi Estep, Info Tent Volunteer
- Barry Orton, planning support, bell-ringer extraordinaire, vendor breaks and all around helpful guy
- Andrew Hirst, Spencer Childers, Lindsey Karls & The Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Double Dollars Program
- Mary Zimmerman, Newsletter editing
Musicians:
- The Market Ramblers
- Starr Grass Band
The WCM Board of Directors:
- Kevin Oppermann, President, Highland Spring Farm
- Mary White, Vice President, Honey Bee Bakery
- John Shadle, Secretary, Community Board Member
- Jason Bynum, Treasurer, Urban Gourmet
- Diana Murphy, Dreamfarm
2025 Season Schedule
Saturdays
April 12th - November 1st/8th*
7:00am - 12:30pm
Located at:
University Research Park
505 S. Rosa Road
Madison WI 53719
*Please note this is the tentative schedule, market dates subject to change.
A bonus market may be offered on November 8th, weather/vendor permitting.
Winter Market Options:
The end of outdoor market season doesn't mean the end for great local food options! Check out the list of indoor market and alternative ordering options below. Be sure to also check out your favorite vendor websites and social media for online ordering, pop-up events, retail locations and more.
Dane County Farmers' Market:
Holiday Market:
Saturdays - November 16th & 23rd, December 7th*, 14th & 21st
7:30am - 12:00pm
*Open til 1:00pm on December 7th
Late Winter Market:
Saturdays, January 4th thru April 5th, 2024
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Participating WCM Vendors include:
- Alsum Sweet Corn
- Bryant Family Farms
- Don's Produce
- Fungi Farmers
- Murphy Farms
- Natalie's Garden & Greenhouse
- Savory Accents
- Stella's Bakery
- Wetherby Cranberry Co.
& More
(Please note not all vendors present every week, check their Facebook page for weekly vendor lists)
Sun Prairie Farmers' Market:
Winter Market:
Saturdays, November 9, 2024 - April 12, 2025
(no market on December 30th or February 1st)
9:00am - 12:00pm
Wisconsin Weekly Harvest:
Formerly Madison Farmers Unite, Wisconsin Weekly Harvest offers online ordering from a variety of local producers for Saturday pickup at four different locations in the Madison area. Order from their website here by 7:00pm Thursdays for Saturday pickups.
WCM participating vendors include:
Alsum Sweet Corn
B. Kurt Dairy
County Line Plants & Produce
The Deliciouser
Don's Produce
Fungi Farmers
Honey Bee Bakery
Pecatonica Valley Farm
Savory Accents
Wetherby Cranberry Co.
WCM Tote Bags for Sale
New Westside Community Market tote bags are now for sale! Offered in a natural-tone canvas, these spacious bags feature our market bunny logo designed by Snaggle Tooth Arts of Madison for $15 each, cash, check or Venmo (including Tap-to-Pay cards). Over the winter months, bags can be ordered via email (manager.wcm@gmail.com) for in-town delivery.
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