St. Cloud Farmers Market Ends Successful Season [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD-- The St. Cloud Farmer's Market closed out its 2018 season on Saturday morning.

The market ran every Saturday from May to October with the tagline "Why not eat local when you can?" Every week they had a different theme such as We Heart Our Kids Day, Food Sampling Day, and Produce Day to include both adults and children.

One of the organizers for the market, Shannon Haws, says this season was a successful one.

It was wonderful. I think that we have more community here. We have a better variety of vendors than we did the previous years. I think every year we're growing.

This was the fourth year the market was held in the Lady Slipper Parking Lot downtown after outgrowing its previous location at Bremer Bank. Seasonal and guest vendors offered a variety of food, music, arts, and crafts during the season.

The market accepted credit, debit, and EBT cards in exchange for market bucks. Haws says the focus is on building community.

You know it's supporting local farmers. It's supporting entrepreneurs. It's buying locally. It's making good, healthy choices and meeting your neighbors and spending time. It's a great place to be on Saturday mornings.

Funding for the market comes from donations. This season the group received a Mission Grant from the St. Cloud Diocese and an EBT Matching Grant from the Hunger Solutions program.

The St. Cloud Farmer's Market has been around for over 30 years, making it the longest running market in the area. The market will return in May 2019.