MSU Extension director tours the revitalized Downtown Saginaw Farmers' Market

Julia Darnton<darntonj@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

Farmers market finds a permanent home that they hope will allow it to become a downtown staple.

Julia Darnton, left, and Jeff Dwyer, director of MSU Extension.
Darnton and Dwyer at the Downtown Saginaw Farmers Market on July 10, 2019. Photo courtesy of Jeff Dwyer

Michigan State University Extension Director Jeff Dwyer is taking a road trip this summer, stopping up and down Michigan from the Eastern Market to the Upper Peninsula.

During his stop in district nine covering Bay, Genesee, Midland, Saginaw and Shiawassee counties, Dwyer got a chance to visit the Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ Market under the pavilion at the SVRC Marketplace at 203 S. Washington Avenue in Saginaw.  In addition to the farmers’ market, he was able to see the inside of the SVRC Marketplace and learn about the recent history of the Marketplace.

Since it was revitalized in the 1990s, the directors and farmers of the Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ Market were working to strengthen the farmers market and find a permanent location.  Five years ago, the market leadership began working on a partnership with SVRC Industries with the hope of creating a home for the market and a location that could also house the SVRC offices downtown. 

I am based in Saginaw County and have worked closely with the farmers market for more than 11 years.  I also served as the chairperson of the board of directors to see the vision of a permanent location become a reality.

I am proud to say, the Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ Market opened at their new location at the SVRC Marketplace on May 25, 2018 and is looking forward to a productive season.  In 2019, the market is host to 35 vendors representing farms and small businesses in the area.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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