There weren’t the torrential downpours of the two previous markets, but it still was damp when we gathered for our eighth and final Sitka Farmers Market of the season Saturday, Sept. 18, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. Despite the sprinkles, we closed out the market season in fine style with several vendors selling out of product.

We appreciate everybody who made this market season a success, especially all of our vendors, volunteers, and our customers who wore masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The markets were held outside this year to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We didn’t have as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller markets seemed to have worked. We still had fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts.

The market now will go on hiatus until next summer. We usually hold markets on selected Saturdays from July through September, and hopefully next year we’ll be back in a location that will allow us to have both inside and outside booths. When we have dates for the 2022 Sitka Farmers Market season we’ll start recruiting new vendors using our online registration page, and potential vendors can register and pay their vendor fees by going to https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More information about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

A slideshow of scenes from the eighth market of the summer is posted below.