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Right place, right time: Wednesday evening farmer’s market coming to Lake Street in Avon

Lake Street near Nottingham Park in Avon in 2018. The town will opened up a round of grant funding to local businesses on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020.
Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com

When Derek George looks at Lake Street, he sees the perfect venue for a Farmer’s Market.

George and his partner at Lettuce Patch Productions, Kerri Thelen, are starting up a Lake Street farmer’s market on Wednesday evenings starting June 20.

While nearby towns like Minturn, Vail and Edwards have been able to establish a regular market over the years, the concept has eluded Avon.



As a vendor, George participated in Avon’s last attempt at a market a few years ago, saying the location was a challenge. With the town agreeing to shut down Lake Street in front of Nottingham Park every Wednesday evening for the new market, George thinks they’re finally in the right place at the right time for a successful market.

“That was one of the driving forces behind the concept, being able to shut down Lake Street and have vendors be able to pull in right there,” he said. “When I think of this location, I think of a European-style street market.”

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HAPPY HOUR TIMING, PRICES

Taking place on Wednesday evenings from 4 p.m. to dusk, the Lake Street market in Avon will feature a beer garden for adults, with happy hour pricing on beer and wine, and a kids zone to keep their offspring occupied while they peruse the vendor booths.

“The kids zone will be called the Lettuce Patch, to pay homage to the history of Avon,” George said. “We will try to include the Avon historical society, as well, for an educational component.”

The parking situation near Lake Street will make it convenient for a quick stop for produce, or a longer visit to enjoy the beer garden and kids zone. Both the town hall parking lot and the rec center parking lot will be open and accessible, with Lake Street closed off between those two access areas.

“When we started thinking about this, the parking situation was one of the major considerations,” George said. “I know at other markets in the valley, parking can make things prohibitive for guests.”

NEW VENDORS WELCOME

George has vendors already signed on, including the requisite farmer for produce, but is also hoping some more vendors will come forward.

“We’re setting our prices to be the least expensive of all the markets in the valley,” George said. “We have plenty of room to work with on Lake Street, so the more vendors who want to participate, the merrier.”

The town of Avon has signed on as a presenting sponsor, with a $21,000 contribution to help make the market a success.

“I absolutely love the idea, love everything about it,” said Mayor Jennie Fancher.

George said they’re also offering more sponsorship opportunities.

Interested vendors, or anyone interested in sponsoring, is encouraged to email info@lakestreetmarket.org.

“We see this not only as the right time and place, but also having the right partnerships,” George said. “The only way that this market is going to be successful is if the community really buys into it, and everybody comes out and enjoys it.”


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