The Syracuse Downtown Farmers Market came to a close for another year Monday. Change might have been the watchword for the day – due to the season and the changing nature of downtown.
Downtown Committee Operations Director Chuck McFadden has been running the market for 40 years. More downtown residents are helping but they are working against other factors.
“We are probably getting too many markets, and that’s not good for all markets,” McFadden said. “If this market is doing really well, and then all of a sudden there’s a Wednesday market, you can say, ‘Well, I missed Tuesday market. That’s ok. I won’t worry about it. I’ll go Wednesday.’”
Natalie Neal of Youngman Orchards in Sodus was there with apples, plums, cherries, and other fruit to wrap up a long but enjoyable season.
“It’s hard work, a lot of hours. Usually everyone’s exhausted by the end of the season, but it is a fun day to be out here. It’s a nice day to be outside and talk to people,” Neal said.
But for local farmers, the work does not stop with the closing of the Clinton Square market. Other farmers markets will be open through October, with apples still in season. But even during the winter, the workload is in full bloom.
Cindy Paine with Paine Greenhouses in Fulton said, “We sell retail at home, and then we go right up to Christmas for retail, and then we are closed, of course, to get ready for spring.”
When the market reopens in June, it will be its 47th year in Downtown Syracuse.