Perry’s downtown will be the place to be on Thursdays through September.
The Perry Farmers Market will be held from 4-7 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 25 along 2nd Street between Warford and Willis.
“I’ve loved seeing it grow over the years because it really is a great platform for community engagement and involvement and just as a gathering space above and beyond the access to seasonal produce and fresh baked goods,” said Lynsi Pasutti, executive director of the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
A good variety of new and returning vendors will be set up each week, Pasutti added, selling everything from produce to baked goods, honey, flowers, handcrafted items and more. A food truck will also be on hand each week.
New this year will be the addition of a market manager. Jayde Fellom started as the manager on June 12 and will be working with Pasutti to learn more about the market.
Special event nights will return on the third Thursday of each month. Public Safety Night will kick things off on June 19, followed by Community Night on July 17, Back to School Night on Aug. 21 and Health and Wellness Night on Sept. 18.
“It’s kind of a fun night to provide a platform for community partners to engage in the community and to bring people down,” Pasutti said of the special event nights.
Returning this year on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month will be Kids Night with Iowa PBS.
“They’re continuing year two of their programming with early literacy programs for kids to have fun while learning at the market,” Pasutti said.
Kids will have the chance to participate in a variety of activities through scavenger hunts, creating menus, learning about different produce and more. After completing the activity, they will receive Kids Bucks to then spend with vendors at the market.
A number of currency programs will be available for shoppers to access food at the farmers market, including SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks and Perry Food Pantry dollars.
Find more information about the market, including a preview of what’s coming each week, through the Perry Farmers’ Market Facebook page or online at perryia.org/farmers-market.
Pasutti encourages residents to head downtown on Thursdays.
“It’s fun to see community members come out, they’re visiting with vendors,” she said. “(Soumas Court) is full of people with live music, it’s just a great night to be downtown. Restaurants are full, so it’s fun to see activity and then after the market you see people out on the patios. It just brings people downtown.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Perry Farmers Market kicks off 2025 season
Reporting by Allison Ullmann, Perry Chief / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
