What a great week for being outside. I’ve seen so many people at Meadowbrook, on campus, and downtown enjoying the cool days. I tried to get in as much outdoor time as possible this week, but the great news is that this weather should hold out for the weekend and the Market.
If you are new to town, there is one Urbana institution you definitely won’t want to miss: the Urbana at the Square Farmer’s Market. The Market is full of locally grown produce, handmade craft items, grass-fed beef, free range chicken, local eggs, baked goods, local honey and much more. Head on over to the Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday morning and you can’t miss it.
There are a lot of great activities at the Market this week to look forward to. Art at the Market returns with Soybean Press for a custom letterpress event. Soybean Press will help patrons to create their own letterpress postcards from 8 a.m. to noon this Saturday. This event is free and open to all ages. Learn all about this original art form! More information about this event can be found here.
While you are making your letterpress creation, enjoy to some great live music courtesy of Art at the Market. This week features Ryan Groff of local band Elsinore. Definitely come out and support the local music scene this weekend at the Market. Elsinore will be featured at the Pygmalion Music Festival on September 28, and has a new album called Push/Pull that drops on October 15 on Parasol. For more information about Elsinore and Ryan Groff click here.
Although the weather is thankfully cooling off a bit, the produce selection at the Market continues to be fabulous. There were so many peaches, watermelons, and berries last week. I’ve had my pick of delicious local fruit everyday this week for breakfast. Also, there were about a million pickling cucumbers at the Market lsat weekend, if you’re interested in making your own pickles. Making pickles is fun and easy if you haven’t ever tried it. We’ll have some tips for you on Monday, so be sure to check back here. Last week, I stocked up on bacon from Triple S and got some beautiful tomatoes for BLTs. Keep an eye out for more melons, berries, veg, and all kinds of great produce this week. The honey stand looked quite busy last week, and don’t miss out on the jams, jellies, pre-made casseroles, baked goods, cheeses, gelato and many other delicious items.
Speaking of great, there are so many craft vendors at the Market each week. Did you see all the sock owls and colorful felted bags at Happy Hybrids? What a fun collection. Be sure to check out the homemade soap, pet treats, and sun catchers. 
So come out this weekend and explore your local market. Whether you are new to town or a Market devotee, there is a lot happening that you won’t want to miss.
Forms of payment: All vendors accept cash, and a few may take checks. Some vendors have card readers on their smart phones, but I haven’t seen too many of those. See information about LINK tokens here. If you run out of cash at the Market, there is an ATM in the Lincoln Square Mall. The line was kind of long last week though, so if you have enough cash in advance you can avoid the line.
Parking: Free parking is available in the parking lots surrounding Lincoln Square Mall and the lot south of Illinois Street. Bike parking is also available at the entrances to the mall and at the bike corral area past the entrance to the Market off of Illinois.
Information: You can follow the Market on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for Market mail here.
If you want more information you can email Market Director Natalie Kenny Marquez or call her at 217.384.2319. And check out the Market flickr for some gorgeous photos of the Market.
The Market runs from 7 a.m. to noon every Saturday through November 2. All events are scheduled rain or shine. C-U at the Market!