East Dundee cancels Sunday farmers market

East Dundee officials have decided to cancel the village's weekly farmers market, saying the event strayed too far from its original purpose and was not the best use of resources.

The market has been held seasonally every Sunday for the past three years. Over time, the village struggled to attract farmers and other traditional vendors to participate, Village President Lael Miller said.

Organizers started filling the gaps with entertainment and other types of food and craft vendors, he said, making the event seem more like a flea market.

"It wasn't really turning out to be a true farmers market, which was our intent," Miller said.

After re-evaluating their event schedule for several months, trustees and staff members agreed at a June 12 meeting to end the farmers market after the June 18 event - the second of the season.

The news was frustrating for event organizers, who said they received a day's notice that last weekend's market would be the final one.

Market Director Kelly Hof said the timing of the village's decision was especially poor because scheduling for the rest of the season, which extends through October, was well underway. Vendors were booked weeks in advance, she said, and although they will be reimbursed, it may be difficult for them to find other markets to attend.

"To be able to create and encourage a local food system in my hometown really meant something to me," said Hof, who resigned Sunday from her position as a part-time village employee whose primary responsibility was overseeing the market. "We were setting ourselves up to be able to encourage more traffic and encourage more participation from vendors. I thought this year was going to be our strongest season yet."

The markets typically draw crowds of a few hundred people compared to the village's other downtown events such as Wine Down Wednesdays and Thirsty Thursdays, which bring in upward of 1,000, Miller said.

The village budgeted about $5,500 per year for the farmers market, not including the cost of staff time and resources, Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said.

"People who did come down there enjoyed that event, but there didn't seem to be enough people to support the vendors," Miller said. "We're sad to see it go, but we were losing more vendors than we could keep."

Farmers market vendors are encouraged to participate in the Depot Market events, hosted by the Dundee Township Visitors Center every Saturday from mid-May to October, he said. East Dundee's events committee, trustees and staff are also brainstorming new and less frequent events to hold on Sundays.

Though understanding of the village's point of view, Hof said she's hurt by the way the event cancellation transpired.

"We really did the best we could to make this a successful market," she said. "I thought it was, but the village decided otherwise."