The Appleton Farm Market on a brisk, early October morning.
FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, since moving to northeastern Wisconsin, our daughter Miranda has raved about the outdoor Appleton Farm Market. She enthuses about the trolley and the entertainment, the fresh produce and flowers and crafts in this open air market in the heart of a downtown that mixes old and modern, buildings, that is.
All ages, including babies in strollers, were bundled up in the blustery weather.
So on a recent visit to Appleton, which is south of Green Bay for those of you unfamiliar with the Badger state’s cities, we took in the outdoor farm market on a cold and windy Saturday morning. It was mitten and fleece-wearing weather, although we’d left both behind in Minnesota, not expecting such cool temps.
College Avenue is blocked off to vehicle traffic for several blocks.
Our daughter knows a secret, free parking spot (if you arrive early enough) just off the east end of College Avenue, the downtown street closed to motor traffic for several blocks during the market.
Pearly Grey designer Jen Nowak-Miller tries to stay warm in her booth where she marketed these eye-catching skirts and much more. I fell in love with the prints. Jen loves them, too, and calls her attraction to these an “addiction.” This talented designer, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design and Manufacturing, also offers her retro/funky clothing designs online at “It’s All Retro Baby.” She recently relocated from Oregon back to her native Wisconsin.
And so we set off from there to explore. I found myself lagging behind the daughter and husband as I chatted with vendors and took photos of this impressive market.
The Appleton Farm Market moves into City Center, the building pictured here on the right, beginning on the first Saturday in November.
I must qualify here that I’ve previously been to the indoor Appleton Farm Market at City Center. Although nice, you just don’t get the same vibe, the same variety, as an outdoor affair. And I think that could be said for any upper Midwest market that moves indoors in the colder, non-growing season.
This Saturday marks the year’s final outdoor venue (from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) in Appleton with the market moving into City Center from November through March (9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.). The trolley stopped running at the end of September.
This vendor pitched something about the last sweetcorn dance, so my daughter purchased six ears.
And so we walked block after block through downtown Appleton as shoppers scooped up the last of the year’s sweet corn crop, sampled BBQ on pork, clustered at knitters’ booths to slip warm mittens onto cold hands, purchased $10 bouquets of fresh flowers, speared toothpicks into cubes of Wisconsin cheese…
Piles of fresh carrots highlighted in the morning sunshine.
A shopper arrives on his bicycle and piles on the lettuce.
Ah, the bright colors of seasonal produce.
While the entertainment was limited to two young musicians under a canopy, our daughter says warmer weather brings more entertainers.
But on this Saturday in early October, the vendors and shoppers provided entertainment enough for this Minnesotan.
FYI: To learn more about the Appleton Farm Market and about downtown Appleton, click here and click here.
To learn more about the clothing designed by Jen Nowak-Miller, click here to link to her Pearly Grey, “It’s All Retro Baby,” website.
TO SEE MORE APPLETON FARM MARKET photos, keep scrolling:
Just one of the many, many vendors offering garden fresh produce.
Several crafty types sold mittens which proved popular with shoppers on the cold, cold morning. At this booth I spotted green and gold Packers mittens and told the vendor I couldn’t buy them because I was from Minnesota. Not missing a beat, and with a huge smile spreading across her face, she reached under her table, whipped out a pair of purple mittens and told me she’d just made them the previous evening. You should have seen the surprised look on my face.
A father and son were selling these humorous candy corn faces they sawed from wood and painted.
Beautiful floral bouquets and only $10. Should have bought some for my daughter.
And just because I love flowers so much, here’s a close-up shot.
Every Wisconsin event needs brats, right?
I spotted this food truck on a side street just off College Avenue. I know in other cities, food trucks have become a point of contention for local restaurants during events. I don’t know how the restaurant owners in downtown Appleton feel about the food truck’s presence.
Happy Halloween from the same father-son duo who created the candy corn faces.
DISCLAIMER: I received a gift certificate from Downtown Appleton Inc. last year after posting about a previous visit to this city. That did not affect my decision to write again about Appleton nor the content of this post. And you can expect another story coming soon from Appleton on the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit there.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
If I don’t look too close, this reminds me so much of Rochester’s, “Thursdays on first” http://jackie000.blogspot.com/2012/06/thursdays-on-first-street.html I Love these kind of markets with all the different vendors! I will definitely be checking out the website “It’s all retro baby”, such cute designs and I know JUST THE GIRL for them 🙂 Also, loved the mittens and candy corn decorations!
Oh, Jackie, you are going to be absolutely smitten with the designs from Jen on Pearly Grey “It’s All Retro Baby” website. Most definitely some merchandise for your little princess Audrey and her baby brother, too. Have fun shopping.
Great stroll through the market!!! I was taken by the skirts (checking out her website after I comment), the mittens and the adorable candy corn signs! Nothing beats an outdoor market!!!!
Thank you, Beth Ann. I’ve only ever been to our small Faribault Farmers’ Market, so this was really fun for me. Have your credit card ready to buy from Pearly Grey. Pretty sweet stuff. And I’m sorry I didn’t get the name of the father-son team who created the candy corn and jack-o-lanterns. They didn’t have any business cards with them and I didn’t have my notebook, or maybe it was that my fingers were too frozen to write. I can’t remember which. But if anyone truly wants to connect with the crafters of the candy corn and jack-o-lanterns, I likely can track down their contact info from someone at Downtown Appleton Inc.
Just visited the “It’s All Retro” site….so cool!! Thanks for the beautiful post! Loved the flowers and the food truck….definitely “COOL”! Farmers’ Markets are such a great event around here also….especially the one in Cameron Park across from the Coop! have a great weekend!!!!
Ah, it must be the bright colors drawing our eyes on this gray October morning.
Yup. Headed to the river/RV for the weekend! Brrrrrrr! Will have the LP running for sure!!!! Warm hugs…..D
Enjoy the river/RV. Not much time left for that, right?
Home this afternoon with some of the items at risk for freezing. Tomorrow after lunch we go to bring the rig home for the winter! May get some sewing in in the morning!
Yup, it is getting to be that time of year to pack everything away. We stashed flower pots away yesterday and I think I’ve finished the last of the leaf raking.
Leaf raking is one of the things we need to do at the campground. If we don’t the Spring will be miserable! The leaf piles are already incredible!
What a great market — so many different kinds of vendors. The Pearly Grey prints would also make great aprons. I’m a little old to pull it off with the skirts, but as an apron . . .
As far as I can tell from the website, the skirts are just for girls. And I agree, these prints would make beautiful aprons.
It certainly looks like things are cooling down for you. I do feel for the stall owners having to stand in such cold weather but I agree with you – an outdoor market has so much more appeal than an indoor one – you just have to dress appropriately xx
And I was not dressed warm enough. Yes, snow in parts of Minnesota yesterday, although not here in Faribault.
So nice a city embraces the
Farmers Market!
I agree. And a fine Farm Market it is. I told someone today if I didn’t live in Minnesota, I’d live in Wisconsin. Our neighbor to the east is growing on me.
What a fantastic farmer’s market! My husband is from Wisconsin and we’ve been to the farmer’s market in Madison a couple of times, which is very much like this one. I absolutely love it. It pains me to say that this might be something Wisconsin, in general, does better than Minnesota. 🙂
I don’t have much experience with farmers’ markets except the one I shop in Faribault. I love the market here for not only the fresh produce and crafts, but also because I know quite a number of the vendors and those I don’t, I get to know. So I don’t have much reference point for comparison. I just know Appleton really does a fine job with theirs.
Harvest: one of my favorite times of year.
Love Appleton!
Every trip to visit our daughter in Appleton, I realize why she likes the area so much and has no desire to leave. However, I would like her a bit nearer than 5 1/2 hours away.
Great Photos – love the Candy Corn art – thanks for sharing! Happy Weekend:)
Isn’t that candy corn just sweet. I loved, too, that father and son worked on the project together.
Do you remember the vendor with the mittens? I bought a pair and they are amazing! looking to buy more for gifts
I’m sorry, Amanda, I don’t. It’s been awhile since I wrote this blog post and I live in Minnesota, not Wisconsin. Good luck in your search for the vendor.