Is there any sweeter taste of spring than locally-grown fruit and vegetables?
On April 4, the famed Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City’s Farmers Market will open in a new destination. Formerly held at the OSU-OKC campus, the booths full of vegetables of all colors, locally-made soaps, sweet honey and more will move to the new Oklahoma City Scissortail Park.
The move from the OSU-OKC campus to Scissortail Park allows the market to expand exponentially and provide a more robust and enriching experience for visitors, said organizers.
“Great cities have great public parks and great farmers markets. The OSU-OKC Scissortail Park Farmers Market hopes to highlight this fantastic new green space with a destination marketplace that highlights our local food systems and made and grown in Oklahoma products,” said Lance Swearengin, director of Horticulture and Grounds for Scissortail Park.
“This market will feature entertainment and cooking demonstrations from some of Oklahoma City’s top chefs and restaurants. This will bring a new flavor to the customary aspects of a traditional farmers market.”
Plans call not only for growth in the number of vendors, but the regular addition of performers, food demonstrations and seasonal activities to make the market into a weekly experience all guests can enjoy.
The Scissortail market opening on Saturday, April 4, will be located at the northeast corner of Scissortail Park, adjacent to the performance stage.
The Farmers Market currently has over 65 market members registered with more than 80 percent of them selling grown in Oklahoma foods with the other 20 percent made up of a great selection of local artisans.
“This market is really going to be the place to be on Saturday morning in downtown Oklahoma City. You can bring the pups out for a walk with the kiddos and grab a cup of coffee and a pastry while you stroll through our beautiful new gardens and grand promenade,” said Swearengin.
“It’s really going to bring something special to our city and the lifestyle of the people in the community. It’s been great to see people using the park since it opened. I really didn’t understand how much our city needed Scissortail Park until we opened last September. It’s great to see the community using it regularly and treating it as their own personal backyard.”
