Market Season Returns
The Zionsville Farmers Market opens May 16 for another season of providing a fun and family-friendly weekly event that strengthens community. Besides the opportunity to purchase vegetables, fruits, meat, baked goods, fresh prepped food and more, people come for live music and family activities. Each week, the market also raises awareness of a local organization or nonprofit.
“The market has five big priorities: build community, support local businesses, support local agriculture, promote health and wellness, plus engage in environmental sustainability. It has existed since 1997, and there has been a lot of time to build relationships and partnerships. Some of the vendors have been here since the beginning, and new ones will be added this year,” says Kristin Nester, Market Coordinator.
All the vendors are local to Indiana. Nester shares that strawberries are a popular item, but nothing beats the excitement of sweet corn’s arrival to the market. Since the produce is seasonal, what’s offered differs every week. Everyone looks forward to the first day of sweet corn, or as Nester calls it, “The essential Indiana summer food.”
From May 16 until Sept. 26, the market is open on Saturdays from 8 to 11:30 a.m. It is in the heart of the Village, in a lot across from Fivethirty Home at the corner of Main and Pine streets. This year, its area will increase by extending down Pine Street. The logistics are possible through the community support the market receives from the town of Zionsville.
“The community said the market was getting hard to walk through due to strollers and people lining up in front of vendors, so it is expanding its footprint down Pine Street. We have a great relationship with public works, the police and fire department. We work together for extra police patrol, getting the barricades up and fire code compliance. The plan is to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible,” Nester says.
“Our partnerships allow us to build community. Every week we have a Community Service Booth. Once a season, a nonprofit can set up there. We supply a table and tablecloth. They bring handouts or any information they want to disperse. In our 2025 season, Zionsville Run Club started to meet at the market once a month. They began and ended a run there. Last year, Boone County Solid Waste Management District gave us grants to build a water fountain and conduct a trial of compostable packaging,” Nester says.
The Activity Zone, trucks in the rock garden and live music enhance the enjoyment for families. Each week, an organization such as Parks and Recreation or SullivanMunce hosts a program in the Activity Zone, which includes crafts, games or even pet adoption. A rock garden under a tree in the lot is filled with donated toy trucks, and children delight in using them to move and dump the stones. Nearby, live entertainment adds to the festive atmosphere.
“We are always looking for sponsorships and volunteers. Sponsorships allow us to offer programs, support local businesses and keep vendor fees down. We run mostly on volunteers; it’s a great opportunity to hang out with friends and support the community,” Nester says.
“When you go to the market, you see neighbors and people you know; some just come for the ambiance. I love to get a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito. It’s a family-friendly, casual meetup,” Nester adds.
For the latest information on vendors and activities, visit Zionsville Farmers Market on Facebook and Instagram or zionsvillefarmersmarket.org.
