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SALT LAKE CITY — After a run at the Gallivan Center last year, the Tuesday Farmers Market has returned to Pioneer Park.
“It’s been here for its first six years and it’s back for its eighth year,” said Downtown Alliance communication director Nick Como. “This is where the market belongs.”
Como said the market has signed on roughly 20 vendors plus some food trucks.
“This is very different from the Saturday market where it’s not quite the festival atmosphere,” Como said. “This is a laid-back market for people who really want to shop and get their produce and their vegetables for the week. It’s great for downtown residents and great for commuters on their way home to swing by the market.”
The Tuesday Farmers Market reunites with the Saturday Farmers Market and Twilight Concert Series as events business leaders hope will help continue to revitalize the area.
“One of the core missions of Urban Food Connections of Utah, which is part of the Downtown Alliance, is to help this neighborhood,” Como said. “The way we can help the Rio Grande neighborhood best is by having positive activation of this park."
Vendors like Amy Dewey seemed to agree with the strategy.
“When people see that it’s a positive environment, they’re more willing to come out,” Dewey said.
Vendor Tracy Weyhenmeyer said she saw something similar unfold as she grew up in New York.
“Parks like this were notorious at one point in New York City, and now they’re a tourist attraction and they’re used often by lots of people,” Weyhenmeyer said. “The more the community supports these types of areas and makes it a space that they’d like to enjoy, the more it becomes enjoyable. Actually, you just have to start.”
The market is expected to run every Tuesday through October from 4:00 p.m. until dusk.
