Park Ridge Farmers Market: Time, Place, & Must-Try Items!

When you live in the Midwest, you look forward to Summer for the warmer weather, and the many fun, outdoor activities that come with it.

My family loves splashing around in the pool, walking to the park on a near-daily basis, and perhaps most of all, we love our Saturday trips to the Park Ridge Farmers Market.

The idea for the Park Ridge Farmers Market was conceived in 1989, by former mayor, Marty Butler. A group of awesome citizen-volunteers was established, and a year later, the Farmers Market was erected.

Thirty years later, the market continues to serve the local community, as well as vendors – hailing from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana – who bring in fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, as well as baked goods, beverages, specialty foods, flowers, and more.

The Park Ridge Farmers Market has grown and evolved into a cherished community event that you will not want to miss. Visit once, and you’re sure to come back!

Location

Entrance at 15 Prairie Ave, between Main and Garden St.

Dates & Hours

• Every Saturday
• May 25 – Oct 26
• 7:00am – 1:00pm

Cost

Admission is free, but bring your wallet to purchase some goodies!

Parking

Park for free on local streets (Fairview Ave and Main St tend to be good options), or find a spot in the Park Ridge Public Library parking lot.

Vendors

Entertainment

Sprouts Kids Club

With a free membership, there’s no reason for your little one not to join this inclusive club!

Sprouts Kids Club offers a fun, educational experience every Saturday, where kids enjoy a wide variety of activities, including arts and crafts with the Brickton Art Center, music with Miss Jamie’s Farm Parties, and hanging out with Astrid, the bearded dragon, from the Wildwood Nature Center.

By visiting the Sprouts tent and participating in the weekly activity, kids can earn a “punch” in their punch card—five punches equal a prize!

Live Music

Don’t be surprised to find talented, local musicians, performing, for free, at the market. My 3-year-old, Leo, will get up close and start a dance party… no other dancers needed, though they’d be welcomed!

Music ranges from Americana to Jazz, Blues, to contemporary. Find new talent each week, including favorites Tom Compton, Whitey O’Day, and Melissa Neff.

Market to Table Booth

Join the Guiltless Garden as they prepare delicious food with healthy, fresh ingredients. Founded by two registered dieticians, The Guiltless Garden aims to make snacking not only yummy but wholesome too.

At the booth, they offer many varieties of “Guiltless Guacamole” and demonstrate how to use it in fun and innovative recipes.

My Must-Try Items

Every experience at the market is different, and we love to try new things… but like everyone, we also have our favorites, which include:

1. Beer, Tea & Cold Brew from Beer on the Wall. A favorite local spot, we like to stop by just to see some friendly faces, but then we’ll get sucked in, and will likely sample a beer or two. My Leo likes to sample the lemonade. Before we leave, my husband grabs a cold brew coffee, and I might get an iced-tea, made by TeaLula and served by BotW.

2. Kettle Corn from Kernel Dan’s. If my husband and I have a drink for a treat, we need something for the kids too. The giant kettle and glorious smell catch their attention. Yep, kettle corn it is served up by friendly, Kernal Dan’s workers.

3. Hot Crunch Pickles from That Pickle Guy. With everyone occupied with their goodies, I have time to peruse the options served up by That Pickle Guy. We’ve enjoyed the olive muffaletta and hot giardiniera, but most of all, we love the pickles. A favorite in our house is the Hot Crunch variety, cut into pickle chips—perfect on a burger.

4. Sunflowers from Ari’s Flowers. I love bringing the fresh smells and bright colors into our home, and frankly, I like just walking around the market with them too (it’s a great accessory!). With dozens of flower varieties, they whip up stunning bouquets, but it’s the sunflowers I can’t resist.

5. Lemon Olive Oil from Twisted Olive Imports. Specialty olive oils and vinegar add another lovely aroma to the atmosphere. Lemon olive oil is a staple in our house, but we like to try new and exotic flavors too, like peach balsamic vinegar, or jalapeño olive oil.

6. Fresh Produce from any of the Farmers. Of course, there’s no way we are leaving without some fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables are a highlight of the market for our whole family. Honestly, all of the farmers bring in wonderfully crisp and delicious produce. We meander until a certain item calls to us and tend to dig in before we even get back to the car.

7. Homemade Tamales from Tamales Express. Ok, so I don’t actually have a personal review of this one, but the line is always long, and I’ve heard great things. Tamales Express doesn’t miss a week at the market where they serve up hot, homemade tamales. It also has my dad’s seal of approval, so it must be good.

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There it is folks, everything you need to know about the Park Ridge Farmers Market.

As I write this, we are less than two months away from opening day, and I can’t wait. Assuming you’ll be there too, we might just run into each other (I’ll be the woman chasing a couple of little kids, and carrying way too many bags of produce, flowers, and goodies).

See you there soon!

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