St. Charles Farmers' Market Moves to Foundry Art Centre Parking Lot

The St. Charles Farmers' Market is moving to a new location on Riverside Drive to the Foundry Art Centre parking lot this weekend. 

The market, run by the St. Charles Lions Club, is open Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon until October 26.

Gerry Shatro, who organizes the market for the Lions Club, said the move will give them more space. Their current location is a public parking area and people often leave their cars there overnight and take up a lot of space, he said.

Some weeks as many as 10 cars will be parked in the lot when people arrive to set up, he said. 

Don Rothermich, community relations liaison for the city, said they worked with American Rail Car and the Foundry Art Centre to secure space in the Foundry Art Centre parking lot each week.

"Mayor Sally Faith would really like to see the farmers' market grows," he said. "She thought what better way to see it grow is move it to a location to where it could have space to grow a little."

In addition, the market will have a portable bathroom for guests and vendors for the first time this year. 

Shatro said the market has averaged between 18 and 22 vendors each week this season. He said they are looking into other types of things for the market, such as live music and a coffee truck.