Saturday farmers market opens in Middletown on May 6 with new vendors and activities

An exciting lineup of new and returning vendors will join Aquidneck Community Table’s Saturday market when it moves outdoors to Middletown on Saturday, May 6. Open from nine to noon every Saturday morning through October, the attractive Embrace Home Loans campus at 25 Enterprise Drive in Middletown – conveniently located between Middletown Town Hall and the Ocean State Job Lot plaza – offers plenty of parking, vibrant green space, and comfortable seating areas. The perfect spot to hold a farmers market!

With multiple special events, activities for children, and a wide selection of vendors, both new and returning, there is much to mark on calendars for this season.

Newcomers include Wally’s Weiner’s, a Newport favorite, who will attend weekly, offering Saugy’s hot dogs and burgers, and Lucy’s Kitchen who will bring coffee and baked goods. Market favorites, Buns Bakery, The Local Catch, Rhode Island Mushroom Company, Pat’s Pastured and Aquidneck Farms will return, in addition to fresh organic produce available from Roots Farm, The Local Patch, and Dragonfly Farm. Long Lane Farm will make a guest appearance on May 27th with a variety of robust seedlings sourced straight from their farm in Warren.

In addition to market vendors, The Zen Den Yoga Studio will hold donation-based classes at 8 AM and 9 AM every Saturday (weather permitting) with all levels of practice welcome. The Zen Den will also offer body work on alternating weeks at a market stall.

Indie Cycle Electronic Waste Recycling will attend on May 13, July 1, September 2, and October 28; knife sharpening services from father-daughter team B’ladies Professional Sharpening on May 13, June 10, July 8, August 12, September 9, and October 21. More market information about vendors and dates is available at aquidneck community table.org.

ACT’s Wednesday afternoon market reopens at the usual spot on Memorial Boulevard at the Chapel Street intersection on May 17 with a wide selection of locally sourced foods: fresh vegetables and fruit; pasture-raised meat and eggs; fresh and smoked fish; artisan breads and pastries; flowers; and a selection of prepared foods, plus coffee and freshly squeezed juices.

All ACT markets offer a dollar-for-dollar free match for produce for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers who use their EBT allowance at a market. Many vendors also accept WIC (Women, Infants and Children). Staff at the Welcome Stall at the market entrance will be happy to share information about how these programs work, plus volunteer opportunities with ACT programs.

Source: Aquidneck Community Table

About Aquidneck Community Table (ACT):

Aquidneck Community Table is growing a healthy local food system accessible to all residents and visitors of Aquidneck island. In 2016, three Aquidneck Island groups—Aquidneck Growers Market, Island Commons, and Sustainable Aquidneck—came together to form Aquidneck Community Table. ACT has 29 years of experience building a more resilient and equitable food system for the island community. ACT operates three farmers markets, hosting 76,000 shopping visits annually, and keeping an estimated $2MM in the local economy. Vendors have donated 4,000 pounds of food to local food pantries. For its commitment to the local food marketplace, ACT received an Edible Rhody Local Hero Award in 2019; a Good Neighbor Award from The Newport Women’s Resource Center/Newport Health Equity Zone in 2018; the markets were selected as “Must-See Farmer’s Markets” by Yankee in 2018. For more information visit www.aquidneckcommunitytable.org .

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