The Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market as it appeared when it was held next to the Hellertown Area Library in 2015. The market will be held in the same location in 2019. (FILE PHOTO)
If you’re a regular Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market patron, you may want to make a mental note about this year’s market, which will be held in a different location than normal.
Due to construction related to the Water Street Bridge replacement project that will be taking place from June through August, the market will not be held in Water Street Park this year.
Instead, it will be held on the grassy area next to the Hellertown Area Library.
In a couple of months this snow-covered lot next to the Hellertown Area Library will be transformed by the opening day of the 2019 Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market.
The library is located at 409 Constitution Ave., across the street from Dimmick Park, and the market was held there one season several years ago while improvements were being made to Water Street Park.
“Though we will miss our Water Street Park, we are so excited to be back at the library and across the street from the brand new playground that will be put in soon at Dimmick Park,” market organizers said in a recent post on their Facebook page.
An opening date for the new playground has not yet been announced, but work on it recently began, and it will be larger than the previous playground, with a fence around it.
A new playground (artist’s rendition, above) is being built in Dimmick Park. It will be located across the street from the Hellertown Area Library, which is where this year’s market will be held due to the replacement of the Water Street Bridge.
Originally held on Main Street in Hellertown next to what is now BB&T bank, the Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market has been growing since it was founded in 2005, when it was part of an explosion of farmers’ markets opening throughout the Lehigh Valley area.
After the market outgrew the bank parking lot it was moved to the park, where it’s been held for the better part of a decade.
The park location is convenient for residents of nearby developments such as Society Hill as well as users of the Saucon Rail Trail–which passes by it–but some market regulars have said they also like, or even prefer it when it is held next to the library. This location is especially convenient for residents of the borough’s Mountainview neighborhood.
Among the things you will find at the Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market are local produce, meats, eggs, cheese, dairy products, baked goods, honey, coffee, wine, spirits, flowers, herbs, plants, soap, prepared foods, art and crafts. Every fourth Sunday the market hosts “Art in the Park,” which is a day when artists sell their wares.
Typically more than 40 vendors participate in the market each season, although this year’s vendor list has not yet been posted on the market’s website.
Weather permitting, the market is open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from early May through mid November.
The opening day for the 2019 farmers’ market is Sunday, May 5.
