2008
Market Schedule
Saturdays in May3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st
7:30am - 1:00pm
June 7th - September 27th
Wednesdays, 7:30am - 1:00pm
Thursdays, 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Saturdays, 7:30am - 1:00pm
October 1st - 29th
Wednesdays, 7:30am - 1:00pm
Saturdays, 7:30am - 1:00pm
Menu
Market History
Local farmers have been bringing vegetables, fruits, eggs and other farm produce into the city of Eau Claire for more than one-hundred years. Sometimes the farmers had a regular route and went door to door on a Saturday selling homemade butter and eggs. Later, farmers brought their produce to Haymarket Square in Downtown Eau Claire where they sold livestock, poultry, fruits and vegetables to the townspeople. This was especially the case during the fall of the year as described by Anton Venski in his book After All These Years published in 1966 [pages 19-20]:
"In the fall of the year (c 1900s) we kids had a lot of fun when the City of Eau Claire had their annual street fair. It would continue for one full week and took place on Barstow Street and the adjoining side streets. The Haymarket was for the farmers to display their hogs, cows, steers, etc. This made it a smelly place, especially when it rained and mud would accumulate. The main street was full of stands, with show tents up on all the side streets. The business places did a flourishing business and the saloon got their share of business also. People came from the surrounding small towns and spent the day in the big city."Anton Bartholomew Venski - born August 24, 1890, son of a Polish immigrant who migrated to Wisconsin in 1881 or 1882.
During the 1940's and 1950's and extending into the 1960's one would often see farmers selling apples and other farm produce from the back of a pickup truck along Graham Avenue. Starting in 1980, an Eau Claire Farmers Market Association was formed and the market and the site selected was the London Square Mall parking lot. The market typically consisted of ten (10) to twenty (20) vendors selling a variety of farm produce and flowers with the season extending from the middle of June until the end of October.
It should be mentioned that most communities in Wisconsin now have organized farmers markets. most of them have been formed since 1980. However, the tradition of farmers markets in North America spans a much greater period of time. For example, the city charters of St. Paul, Minnesota and Halifax, Nova Scotia, both provide for farmers market sites. The St. Paul Farmers Market is in its 146th year (1999) while the Halifax Farmers Market was founded in 1750 and has just completed its' 250th year of operation.
We now return to our brief history of the farmers market in Eau Claire. With the support of the Eau Claire Main Street Association, the Eau Claire Farmers Market moved downtown in 1989 to the Railroad Street Parking lot across from the Post Office. The market remained at the Railroad Street Parking Lot for three years until the number of truck farmers had grown to forty (40). Many of the new vendors were from the Hmong community, families who have a long tradition of vegetable farming. They expanded the variety , the quality and the quantity of produce available at the market. The Farmers Market then moved to the larger Wood Motor Parking Lot on Farwell Street next to the Schlegelmilch-McDaniel House. By the summer of 1993, the number of vendors was approaching sixty (60) and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find a suitable location for such a large farmers market. Due to need for parking in downtown Eau Claire, it was not at all clear that the Wood Motor Lot would continue to be available as a farmers market location.
After the 1993 season, the Eau Claire Farmers Market decided to move back to London Square mall (It's present location is now at the Oakwood Mall). At about this time a number of truck farmers decided to remain in the downtown area and the Downtown Farmers Market was established. With the assistance of the Eau Claire Main Street Association and the City of Eau Claire, the Downtown Farmers Market officially opened for business in June 1994 with approximately twenty-five vendors in the Railroad Street Parking Lot.
The Downtown Farmers Market has now grown to a membership of seventy (70) vendors. The market membership aspires to offer an increasingly wide variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers, breads, etc., and to offer products of highest quality and freshness. The Downtown Farmers Market continues to operate in the Railroad Street Parking Lot and enjoys wonderful community support. The market is open on Wednesday 7:30am-1:00 pm, Thursday 1:00-5:00 pm, and Saturday from 7:30am-1:00 pm.