by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS
The Olympia Farmers Market is celebrating the holidays this year by holding a “Farm2Table Thanksgiving” event Nov. 19 and 20 and a “Holiday Shopping Delight” Dec. 22 to 24. The Farm2Table Thanksgiving event gives community members the opportunity to purchase everything they need for a Thanksgiving dinner at the weekly, vendor-packed market. In addition to the local produce, artisanal crafts, baked goods, meat and dairy usually available to marketgoers, turkeys and other poultry can be preordered from market vendors Chehalis Valley Farm, Kirsop Farm and August Farm.
Santa Claus will be available to take pictures with shoppers on Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18. A portion of the venue will be sectioned off to allow families to visit and even shop with Santa throughout the day. The following week, the Holiday Shopping Delight event includes extended winter hours, special musical performances by the barbershop chorus The Puget Sounders, singer-songwriter Chalie Saibel and popular jazz band Hook Me Up.
Regarding the upcoming performances, Mary DiMatteo, community outreach manager for Olympia Farmers Market, said, “They’re the perfect way to invite the holidays in. They’re cozy and warm and they light up the market with sound. They’re phenomenal.”
The market will be decorated with Christmas lights and garlands this holiday season, coinciding with the 41st anniversary of the Olympia Farmers Market organization. Each year, 400,000 visitors attend the market, which supports direct relationships between local businesses and consumers and development of small-scale agriculture to promote market balance within the community. Hunter Family Farm, a local, regular vendor at the market, donated all garlands used in decorating the venue. Gift certificates and market tokens will be available for purchase during the holidays and may be redeemed at any vendor in the market.
What: holiday events
When: Farm2Table Thanksgiving: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Nov. 19-20;
Holiday Shopping Delight: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Dec. 22 – 24
Where: Olympia Farmers Market,
700 Capitol Way N, Olympia
Learn more: 360-352-9096 | Olympia Farmers Market>