Chestertown Farmers Market

History:

It's well established that the current incarnation of the Saturday morning farmer's market began in 1981, after a group of local farmers wanted an outlet for their organic produce. On the urging of Jamie Gaudion of Quaker Neck Landing, then Mayor Elmer Horsey and Town Manager Bill Ingersoll set aside the Park Row side of Fountain Park for vendors, and, under the leadership of Owen McCoy, the market has become one of the town's institutions. It has twice been voted "Best in Maryland" in an annual contest sponsored by the American Farmland Trust.

But as older residents will recall, there were vendors in the park before that. In the 1940s and '50s, "hucksters" would bring seafood or produce to the park on Saturdays, often selling their wares from horse-drawn wagons. While the practice faded out in the 1960s, most local historians would have guessed it originated well before the advent of supermarkets - in the previous century, if not even earlier. And, like many aspects of daily life, it was taken for granted and not much noted by historians or official records.

Season: Year Round

Market Hours:

Saturdays, 8 am to 12 pm

Location: 300 & 200 Block of High Street