After a successful first summer, the Naper Settlement Farmers Market will be returning next year, museum staff say.
The inaugural market, which ran Tuesdays from June 25 through Sept. 17, “far exceeded” expectations, Settlement spokeswoman Denise Wilt said. Coming off of the strong debut, they’re already planning to host the market again in 2025.
“We do plan on bringing it back,” Wilt said. “I don’t have any specifics, really, over what the dates or times will be next year. … But we definitely do plan on bringing it back next year.”
More than 9,900 people came to the market over the course of the summer, according to Wilt. On average, they saw about 825 visitors every week, she said.
Museum staff had anticipated weekly attendance would be about 350 and protected a total attendance of 4,550.
“We’re really, really pleased with the turnout,” Wilt said.
The market’s array of of 25 to 30 vendors were part of what drew such a robust crowd of attendees, Wilt said.
However, another draw was that the opportunity to both shop and learn, she said. The market offered weekly educational classes and demonstrations led by museum staff and local guest speakers about all things agriculture. Classes covered topics ranging from beekeeping to backyard chickens.
“The educational aspects are something that other farmer markets in the area may not have, right?” Wilt said, adding that overall, classes and demonstrations were “well attended.”
While she didn’t have an estimate for average class attendance, the first class as a testament to community interest, she said. “Gardening 101: Designing a Sustainable Garden” drew so many people that they had to move it to a different area on the museum’s 13-acre site to accommodate the larger-than-expected crowd, she said.
The demonstrations were conceived as a way to draw attention to and expand on information shared through the Settlement’s Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center, according to museum staff when announcing the market plans earlier this year.
It’s hoped it also drew attention to the Settlement as a whole, Wilt said.
“Hopefully people came to the market, saw the educational aspects, saw our exhibits and really enjoyed that, so they (want to) come back again during the year to visit us, whether that’s at our special events or if that’s at our general admission museum days,” she said.
Looking ahead to next year’s market, Wilt said the Settlement is planning to “add some more vendors, making it even bigger and better than this year.”
