Outdoor Market Season Countdown
Green City Market kicks off local food's most wonderful time of the year next Saturday
Let’s Go, Sunshine!
It’s the last weekend of March, which can mean only one thing for local food fans: The Chicago region’s outdoor farmers market season is almost here!
For Local Food Forum, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Sorry, Christmastime.
The big kickoff will take place next Saturday (April 6) at Green City Market’s flagship location at the south end of Lincoln Park. Green City’s Wednesday market in Lincoln Park and its West Loop Saturday market will follow suit in early May.
The market’s hours are next Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. And starting at 9 a.m., Green City will launch its 25th anniversary celebration with a tribute to farmer/vendors who have long runs with the market.
One of these is Mick Klug Farms, a produce seller from St. Joseph, Michigan, from whom I have a tradition of buying my first asparagus of the year (yes, I have farmers market shopping traditions). Mick Klug was one of original vendors when Green City — the brainchild of the late Abby Mandel — opened in the alley next door to the Chicago Theater in the Loop in 1999.
“We are so grateful for all the hard work and opportunities Green City Market provides,” said Mick Klug Farms in their latest email newsletter.
This is the third consecutive year in which the folks at Green City Market have rolled the dice on Chicago’s unpredictable April weather by heading outdoors on the first Saturday. Over the rest of the month, they will be joined only by the Grayslake Farmers Market in Lake County, which starts on Saturday, April 13, and the Frankfort Country Market in Will County on Sunday, April 21. The outdoor season gets rolling in earnest by the first week in May.
Get Out Your Credit Cards to Support Local Food
Two of our local food non-profits are seeking tax-deductible donations, and they need them now, as their fundraising campaigns are nearing conclusion.
Here is information provided by Green City Market about their campaign, which includes a $20,000 match and wraps up at midnight on Sunday night.
To unlock more economic opportunities for local farmers and increase access to nutritious produce for food-insecure neighbors, Green City Market is set to relaunch our outdoor farmers’ market season a month ahead of schedule and reopen our Lincoln Park location on Saturday, April 6, 2024, and its West Loop location on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
In 2023, GCM welcomed 445,000 customers as demand for local, sustainably produced food skyrocketed. This year, to meet this ongoing demand, we've recently launched a campaign to raise funds to support the increased costs of operating an extended season while ensuring the market remains affordable for our small-scale, local farmers during the crucial spring season.
Help create a more sustainable, resilient food system with a donation to Green City Market today!Farming doesn’t have an off-season and neither does Green City Market. With peak growing season still months away, many farmers are grappling with the financial burden of planting and preparing for the upcoming season at a time of year when their cash flow is at its lowest.
Giving monthly is one of the most impactful ways you can support our year-round work and be part of our mission to build a more local, sustainable, and equitable food system.
It might shock people to learn that it costs more than $350,000 each year to operate our markets. From permit fees to portalet rentals, market expenses aren’t exactly the most exciting things to talk about; but the costs are significant for a market of our scale. To keep the market affordable for small-scale, local farmers, vendor fees cover only half of the costs to operate the market. Remaining expenses are funded through charitable contributions made by community members like you.If every person who receives this email becomes a GCM Grower by starting a donation of $25/month, together, we could fully fund this work for the entire year before the season even starts. That’s less than $1 a day to build a more resilient, sustainable food system alongside our farmers.
When you donate now through March 31, your donations will be automatically matched by an anonymous donor. That means your $25 monthly gift will turn into $50.
Wild Onion Market is a brand-new community food co-op that is completing its buildout in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. The goal of the current fundraiser is to collect the remaining funds needed to open the store — which will have a huge positive impact for Rogers Park, nearby Evanston and the broader local food ecosystem — by June 12.
And, according to the market’s website, it needs to collect $26,465 by Monday. Here’s their pitch:
If we meet our fundraising goal by April 1st then we will open on June 12th!
Why do we know THIS is the FINAL PUSH?
Because we have:
2000+ owners
Completed store construction
Freezer and refrigerator cases that are ON
Business and liquor licenses
Hired a General Manager
Devon Bank that is rooting for us to meet our funding goal so they can release our loan
Everything is in place. Except the funds.
How Can You Contribute?
There are 5 ways:
1. Have a friend join Wild Onion Market
2. Contribute to our GoFundMe site
3. Donate to our tax-deductible fund, follow the instructions provided
4. Write a check to Wild Onion Market, PO Box 607262, Chicago, IL 60660
5. Invest in Preferred Shares or Owner Loans (available to owners only)Make a choice. Please act now.