CLINTON  — The Clinton Farmers Market will soon be back for another season of providing fresh food and produce, along with items like jewelry, handmade clothing, dog treats, personalized cards and more to attendees.  

The market takes place on Thursdays, beginning June 1, and will end on Oct. 5, on the Clinton Village Green.

Molly Marris, the executive director of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, which is in charge of running the market, says that this is the 26th year that it has been open.

Marris began working in the position in September 2022, so she was in charge of closing down the market from the year before. This is her first full year planning and running the market, though.

“We have a great group of returning vendors, so we have just over 45 vendors and about 40 are coming back from last year and previous years,” Marris said. “The process has been pretty smooth, they all know what they’re doing.”  

The vendors are coming from all over the Mohawk Valley, and another farm that is local to Clinton will be a vendor this year, bringing the number of Clinton and Kirkland-based farm vendors at the market to three.  

Many of the vendors accept SNAP tokens, which allows those who rely on SNAP to purchase fresh, nutritious and locally grown foods for their families. This year, the market is expanding its New York FreshConnect Program, which provides consumers with a $2 FreshConnect Check for every $2 in SNAP tokens that they use. In previous years, the market offered a $2 coupon for every $5 in SNAP tokens. 

“It really allows people to access healthy, local foods, which can be hard to do,” Marris said. “Organic fruits and vegetables can be more expensive, and it makes it more an accessible opportunity for folks to eat healthy and support the local economy.” 

The market will also feature entertainment from various Clinton Central School District music groups, and the storytimes from the Kirkland Town Library throughout July.  

It will also be running the Power of Produce (POP) Kid’s Club again this year, with support from a grant from Excellus BCBS. By signing up at the Clinton Chamber of Commerce’s information tent, children can receive a passport and two $1 tokens to purchase fruits or vegetables from vendors. 

“It’s a really great way to allow kids to learn about their local food system at a young age and also make healthier choices,” Marris said. 

Marris said her favorite part about the market is that it allows people to connect with the vendors and each other. 

“It is a really great community-centered market. I think we have a wonderful, picturesque location for the market, so it’s great to have it on the [Village] Green as a culmination of everything that’s going on around here,” she said. “During the day, a lot of families come out, we try to have live music in the gazebo and a great mix of growers and producers, but also food and lunch options and things like that, that it more of an event than just a market experience.”   

“It gets people out of their shells and brings the community alive,” Marris added.