2023 brings huge changes to downtown West Bend, all of Main Street from the north end round-a- bout on 33 to the stop and go lights on Walnut will be reconstructed.  Starting in April thru October the street will be closed to traffic.   *** Please note this does not in any way close the businesses on Main St. they will be OPEN.   
   The Downtown West Bend Association (host of the West Bend Farmers Market) is tasked with making some location changes not only for the market but all our events that happen on Main St. We have spent the last year searching for locations that would accommodate the amazing vendors, the fantastic guests and all the parking needs.  We wanted to make sure that we continue our mission of supporting the Heart of Downtown and keeping the Farmers Market listed as the #1 market in Wisconsin.   The West Bend Farmers Market is one of our larger events loved by the community, relied on the farmers and vendors while bringing people from all over to our community to enjoy a morning at the market.   
So, for 2023 we will have to move the market a few blocks south.  The market will make a horseshoe around the Heritage Towers Historical Museum & Washington County Historical Society located at 320 5th Ave. The market will cover all of 6th Ave from Poplar to Chestnut, Poplar St between 5th Ave & 6th Ave and down 5th Ave to Chestnut. ​This is will be a beautiful site, and we intend to make the best of our temporary home.  This location offers ample area parking, with plenty of room for all the farmers, vendors, entertainers and artisans.    

We ask that you make sure to PLEASE inform all of your customers, guests, and neighbors.  Add this information to your websites, email blasts, and social media.  We will be sending all the vendors a market poster they can print to put up.  If you are not able to print just let us know and we will get one to you.  We need everyone to step up and help GET THE WORD OUT!   We are starting a marketing campaign this week We will have radio, newspapers, social media and printed materials throughout Wisconsin.
 If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly Gena@downtownwestbend.com or call me 262-338-3909.    
​ The map below shows the aeriel view. 

​For thirty years the West Bend Farmers Market has thrived to the point where it was just voted the best farmers market in Wisconsin. Each Saturday, thousands of visitors enjoy the vendors, their produce, the company of their friends and neighbors, the setting, and the friendliness of it all. The imagery and rhetoric displayed last Saturday at the market was completely unacceptable and does not reflect the mission and values of the Downtown West Bend Association who organize the market. 
 
After careful consideration, reinforced by overwhelming feedback from our community, the Downtown West Bend Association’s Board of Directors has come to a final decision, stating, “effective immediately, the West Bend Farmers Market will not accept applications from political organizations, affiliations, and/or politically motivated entities to rent stalls at the West Bend Farmers Market.”    
 
The Mission of the West Bend Farmers Market is to aid in securing the future of locally grown sustainable foods, increasing support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and providing direct access to nutritious fresh foods.  We also strongly believe in community, providing our community and guests with an amazing Downtown West Bend experience, promoting local shops, restaurants, and business.   The market is here for the local farmers, shops, artisans, and the West Bend and wider communities.   
 

Wow! It is already September! Fall is here and so is Apple and Pumpkin Season!
Promotion of your business and the West Bend Farmers Market is a great way to get more people to your stalls! Make sure to tell everyone what stall you are at, tag the West Bend Farmers Market- promote yourself!

Some reminders about the market-
YOU MUST HAVE YOUR VEHICLES OUT OF THE MARKET AT 7AM SHARP!
This policy is for everyone's safety and dictated by the West Bend Police Department and the City of West Bend! Every time a policy isn't followed, our market is put into jeopardy of not having our permits renewed for the next season! Please follow the policies we have in place!
If you arrive late, you will need to bring your equipment and supplies in by hand, no vehicles will be allowed in the market after 7am!

Parking outside of the Market -
I have noticed in the morning that vendors have been parking their vehicles on the South Side of the Market, close to the entrance to the West Bend Farmers Market and on 6th Ave. Please park further away and keep stalls available for our guests! You want to encourage people to buy more of your product & make it easier for them to get it back to their vehicles. Remember you did sign a form with our policies stated and this is one of them. We need to keep this in mind for next year especially!

RECIPES-
If you have a recipe to share with our guests, please send it to me via email and I will share it on Social Media and put it on our website! Everyone loves a good recipe! With roasting and pickling vegetables, baking pies, making chili and so much more, your guests will appreciate these, to think outside of the box or to bring an old favorite back into their household!

2023 West Bend Farmers Market
Next year we will have to move off of Main Street for the season! We do have an alternate spot in mind, we need to get it approved by the Common Council before we announce it. Once we have the approval and the stalls mapped out, we will be able to get you more information! BUT we are here to stay!

We want to say "Thank You" to the American Legion Post 36 for fixing our grill! The grill is used for our Host Groups at the market and other events! This was such a wonderful gesture, and we are truly happy to have this organization as our Hosts at the West Bend Farmers Market! 

Wow Thank you Mother Nature for holding off on the rain today! 
Thank you to all of the wonderful guests that make our market so great! It was a great day, and I was glad to see everyone's smiling faces!

Be sure to VOTE for the West Bend Farmers Market on our website or use the QR code located on posters and signs throughout the Downtown West Bend. Currently, we are #1 in the State, #3 in the Midwest and #10 in the Nation! Keep those VOTES coming, we want to be #1 across the board! 

Dogs in the market - We know that in the past, Dogs were not allowed in the market, with the City and Downtown Businesses becoming "Dog Friendly" we decided to let dogs into the market on a trial basis. If your dog likes children, is friendly and trained, they are welcome into the West Bend Farmers Market.
Please DO NOT bring your dog into the market to train, as this is not the place for your animal, and you will be asked to leave the market.
Also, as a common courtesy, please refrain from letting your animals be near the vendors' products and tables. 
Car Movement in the Market - Vendors please be advised that cars may not be in motion, within the barricades between the hours of 7:00am - 11:15am. This is for the safety of our guests and vendors. The West Bend Police Department has asked that we enforce this safety measure as well as have vehicles parked at all entrances to the market as a barricade. 
​"Absence from the Market" Reminder- Please be sure to let the Downtown West Bend Association know of an absence from the market, as soon as possible. If you need our cell phone numbers, please contact me at events@downtownwestbend.com and I will get that information to you. 
​
Thank you and have a great weekend! Our Community Rocks! 

Thank you to all our wonderful vendors for making this a fantastic year!  The community and us here at the Downtown West Bend Association are so grateful for each of you. 
You are what truly makes the market the success it is!   

Last Month we entered a contest with American Farmland Trust.  The first place winner of this contest get $5000.00.  This money would greatly help the market - new tents, signs, tables etc... 
The contest would also bring NATIONAL  recognition to our market which would in turn help all of us. 
Please make sure to share the contest on you social media, websites and post at your stands.  Here is the direct link: 
https://markets.farmland.org/market/downtown-west-bend-farmers-market/?fbclid=IwAR2572qcvyXY28xs_SYym8HkVwRh6nvjvn9TvTKMkYRpdZDsgL_cVfcq5Ac
Here is the stand poster: 

Summer Solstice 2022The first day of summer arrives with the solstice on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 5:14 a.m. EDT. 
The summer solstice is an annual astronomical phenomenon that brings the longest day of the year and the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (and the shortest night). The solstice was an important cultural event in many ancient societies, and it remains one for some contemporary groups.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Earth is tilting mostly toward the Sun. As seen from Earth, the Sun is directly overhead at noon 23.5 degrees north of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Cancer, its northernmost point. 
For those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year and the arrival of winter. The solstice happens at the same moment for everyone, everywhere on Earth.
Solstice means “sun standing still” in Latin, a reference to the fact that the sun appears to linger at its highest point in the sky for the year at midday on the summer solstice.
To this day, the solstice is still a critical time of year for the American farmers because of it's significance in the growing season.  As daylight hours slowly wane post-solstice, crops begin to mature and farmers begin preparations for the harvest. 
Are you ready for the summer? 

​To learn more about the summer solstice, click the button below.

Article provided by: The USDA Farmers Market Newsletter June 16th 2022 

Host Groups are so important to the continued success of the market! We want to Thank you for all your hard work putting up the barricades, directing traffic, and making sure the market is a weekly success.  This weeks host group was fantastic! Thank you  4H Boltonville Firecrackers for setting up and breaking down the West Bend Farmers' Market!

                      ~Just to go over a couple things ~ 
Non Market Vehicles
 If you notice a vehicle parked on Main Street, 6th,
Mill, or Cedar that does not belong there, please call me at 262-325-9466 so I
can call the police to have the owner called to move it. We need this done
ASAP, once we close the market at 7am, we can not do anything and
someone may need to relocate their stall. It is important that myself or Gena
call the police, we will ask for location and license plate to give to the WBPD.
If you have someone in your stall, please do not confront them, come to the
DWBA tent and let us handle it. Sometimes stall numbers may be confusing
and we are all human, we can figure it out!

Welcome your Hosts!
They will be setting up the barricades and ringing
those cow bells at the start and the end of the market! We appreciate these
groups for waking up early in the morning to help us with set up and
breakdown of the market.

The Market closes at 11:00am sharp!
We ask that you have your stall vacated by 11:15am, when the Host group pulls the barricades.
Garbage - Please clean your stall up of any debris and take your garbage with you to be disposed of, the trash cans are for the use of the guests that shop and dine downtown.

We still have some open stalls, if you know of anyone looking for a Seasonal, Community or Daily Space, please have them contact me at events@downtownwestbend.com and I can get them the paperwork!
We are still looking for Fresh Juice/Smoothies, Ice Cream, Food Trucks or Prepared Foods(proper licenses are required), or Handmade Garden Ornaments/Furniture!

Educational Stall is available, This is something new at the market that we thought would be a good fit! This Free Stall is available to businesses or organizations that want to educate our guests on Health and Wellness, Gardening, Crafts/Arts, Recycling, etc. If you know or have an organization that would like to educate at the Market, please have them contact me at events@downtownwestbend.com.

Business Stalls,   To the Downtown West Bend Businesses, I still have stalls
available for reservation, email me if you are interested in reserving a stall!
Attendance- If you know you are not going to be at the market, please let us
know ASAP. We like to keep the stalls full. If we have someone to fill the
empty stall, we will have them fill it.

It is going to be an amazing season at the market!

Downtown West Bend Association
120 N. Main St. Suite, 170
West Bend, WI. 53095