Welcome to the Market Watch, Smile Politely’s weekly rundown of what to expect at the Saturday morning Market at the Square in downtown Champaign at Lincoln Square Mall in downtown Urbana. This week finds us exploring some new territory, and if you look carefully, you just might see something new along the booths on the north side of the square.
That’s right — the staff of Smile Politely will be out in full force this week, and we’d love for each of you to stop by, say hello, ask some questions and let us know what you’d like to see more of in the magazine.
But you didn’t start reading this column for shameless self-promotion, now did you?
Let’s get to it!
Most of what was available at last week’s Market will be available at this week’s Market. To wit:
- asparagus
- salad mix
- bok choi
- lettuce
- radishes
- chard
- kale
- rhubarb
- fresh herbs
- certified organic plant starts
- VERY LIMITED STRAWBERRIES – get there early
- goat cheese
- plenty of locally-raised meat and eggs
- bagels! (Yep – Stewart the Bagel Guy is back in business)
- other 100% legal “indie” baked goods flowers and plants art and crafts from local artisans
Some other things of note:
- lots of plant sales going on near the Market. Common Ground will have theirs on their patio and there are several sales happening in Lincoln Square.
- “Second Saturday”, it’s a new event sponsored by the UBA, is happening in downtown Urbana on the 2nd Saturday of every month. We don’t know much about this event just yet, but we’ll be sure to let you in on it once more information is made available.
- A wonderful new feature of the market this year will be breakfast. And not just any old breakfast. The Great Impasta, now located attached to Lincoln Square, where Milo’s used to be, will be open for starting at 8 a.m.; they have outdoor seating now, too. And word on the street tells us that if you get to the Market early enough, you’ll see owner Harold Allston shopping the stalls for the morning’s omelet ingredients. Mmmm.
The weather forecast looks decent, Smile Politely will be out in the booths, and Stewart’s artisan bread will be back on sale. What more could you want?
See you at the Market!