The 2024 Maple Valley Farmers’ Market begins on May 4th and happens every Saturday from 9am to 2pm until October 26th. It’s the Saturday place to be!
Written by: Payton Ebe – Tahoma High School Journalism Student – Tahoma News
Maple Valley is well known for its incredible Farmers’ Market and the variety of booths and vendors that appear every year. The market takes place across the road from Rock Creek Elementary school which is where it used to take place before the new location was designed.
The market begins this year on May 4th and happens every Saturday from 9am to 2pm until October 26th. It’s the Saturday place to be!
Voted No. 1 Washington Farmers’ Market in 2023 by American Farmland Trust. On April 24th USA Today announced the results of their 10 Best Readers Choice Award for best farmers markets today, and we are thrilled that Maple Valley Farmers’ Market placed FOURTH in the nation!
The market usually has dozens of vendors with a variety of items to buy, from fresh produce to sweet treats, to savory food truck foods, and so much more.
Click to download the 2024 Farmers’ Market Poster.
When asking Larry Baumgart, former President in charge of the market from 2014 to 2019, when the best time to go was, he said, “there are two key times to go to the market and it depends on what you need; for the freshest produce, first thing in the morning when the market opens, and later in the afternoon when produce might be cheaper as farmers really don’t want to take it home if they can sell it. For others, the entertainment and social aspect of meeting friends and making new ones, is another attraction.”
As someone who has been to the market many times in previous years, one of the things I look forward to most is the delicious foods they have in the morning. Many times I have bought donuts at one of the booths and this last year it was the donut holes they had instead.
In response to my question of whether he attends the market himself, Baumgart replied, “We go to the market as much as we can, as I have always been a strong supporter of their importance to the community and to local entrepreneurs. My career background is sales, marketing, and business development. What I personally enjoy is the social aspect of the market.”
The Maple Valley Farmers’ Market is one of the more successful in the area, and there are many factors that contribute to that success. When I asked Baumgart what he thought made the market so successful, he said, “varied vendors, particularly farmers who meet Washington State Farmers’ Market Association’s guidelines, entertainment, food on site, location, parking, ease of access and egress, sponsors, city council support, sponsor recognition, staff, volunteers, marketing, ADA compliance, information, and community support.”
Farmers’ markets are a great way to get recognition for a business no matter how small the business is. Many vendors apply to be a part of the market to get their businesses name out there so they can grow their business in an easy way that people will pay attention to.
You walk through the market and you see so many people and so many things to buy and while it may seem overwhelming at first, you have plenty of time in a day to look closely at everything, and even if you don’t, there’s always next weekend.
View Farmers’ Market Map with Vendor List and Information
The market attracts many people every year, not only from Maple Valley, but from surrounding areas as well. While it’s good that our market gets so much business every year, Baumgart says, “every community regardless of size should have a Farmers’ market. When I got involved, the market was waning and down to about 20 vendors. All the board members had quit for various reasons, except one board member. Knowing the importance of the market to the community I volunteered then to take over and use my career skills to address the needs.”
Even if you are not someone that usually goes to farmers’ markets, it is still important to support these businesses and this community because where would we be without them?
Interested in becoming a Market Sponsor? Click here to learn more.
