By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
The North Attleborough Farmers Market will soon return—this time with more vendors, food trucks, and themed events for the whole family.
The market will once again be on the grounds of Veterans Park and will officially open on Wednesday, June 15, 5-8 p.m. and will continue on subsequent Wednesdays at the same time into October. The market is run by the Downtown North Attleboro Collaborative, which hosts a number of events every year, including the Downtown Block Party.
Andrea Slobogan is co-chair of the market, along with Rachel Weiss, and said there would be 53 vendors, among them local farms, bakeries, and artisans. Some vendors will be present every week while others will have a more staggered schedule, but Slobogan expects between 30 and 40 on a regular basis.
“We’re still getting a lot (of vendors) signing up,” said Slobogan, who also sits on the Town Council. “We went to Veterans Park and measured out what we had (for space).”
Another new element will be themed days. This includes one with pet-centric vendors, a scavenger hunt, and an 80s night.
“We try to do something interactive with the people who come to our market,” said Slobogan
The market opened last year to a tremendous response. Local restaurants, artists, farmers, and more filled the park, with music provided by Bob K Sound. Slobogan said having gone through this before made planning for the second year easier.
Slobogan credited a new group led by Assistant Town Manager Antonio Morabito. It has representatives from the fire and police departments, Department of Public Works, Board of Health, and Parks and Recreation. It was formed with the goal of helping those planning large events, and Slobogan said this addressed a number of things ahead of time.
“Getting all the questions answered, that helped things get streamlined so much,” she said.
In addition to the vendors, food trucks such as Friske Fries, Papa Grande, Portside, TC Scoops, and What’s Up Cupcake will be nearby.
“If you come to the market and like something and you come a couple weeks later, they will still be there—that’s the plan,” said Slobogan. “Our goal is as much consistency possible.”
When asked about the possibility of relocating to a larger space, Slobogan said that having the market at Veterans Park helps bring visibility to both downtown North Attleborough and the WWII Memorial Pool, and she hopes to remain there for a long time.
“It shows people that we have a great downtown,” she said. “I’m so excited that people are as excited as we are about this event.”
For more information, visit northattleboroughfarmersmarket.com.