WILLIAMSBURG — The City of Williamsburg announced on July 1 that the Williamsburg Farmers Market had been integrated into the City of Williamsburg as a division of the Parks & Recreation Department.
Tracy Frey, Williamsburg Farmers Market manager, gave a presentation about the 2024 farmers market season, which kicked off in March and will continue through December, at the July 11 city council meeting.
The market is open weekly on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon on Duke of Gloucester Street.
First opened in July of 2002 with a total of 16 vendors, the market was founded with support from the City of Williamsburg, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Merchants Square Association, the Williamsburg Land Conservancy and William & Mary. Last year, the market reported almost $2 million in vendor sales and featured 61 vendors during its calendar year, which also has historically been the market’s fiscal year.
In 2023, the market worked with Aramark to accept William & Mary dining dollars, and approximately $30,000 was spent on tokens by students to use at the market, it reported. The 2023 season also saw the launch of the Farm Market Fresh program, a senior nutrition incentive program for those over the age of 60.
“Thank you for all the strategies and creative ways you’ve come up with to keep the farmers market appealing, while also serving the Williamsburg community,” said Vice Mayor W. Pat Dent.
“This is a perfect example of the historical tradition we have in Williamsburg that feels like so much the core part of the city,” added Council Member Caleb Rogers. “So we’re glad [Tracy] is a full-time member of the staff now and we’re able to count [her] as one of our own.”
The city noted on its Facebook post announcing the move that integrating the Farmers Market, it would “maintain its mission to sustain, foster, and operate a weekly Williamsburg Farmers Market in Merchants Square with the stability of city government supporting it.”
Nothing changes for the vendors, sponsors, and customers of the market, it added.
The next City Council meeting will be held on Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. For more information about the Williamsburg Farmers Market, visit its official website.
