Buffalo Grove farmers market to sprout next year

The Buffalo Grove village board on Monday gave the green light for a 17-week farmers market in town next year.

The village had already attempted the venture a few years ago with little luck but hope to turn that around next summer.

The market is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for every Sunday from June 14 through Oct. 11 except for the July 4 weekend.

The tentative location is at the parking lot on Route 83 next to the Golf Dome, although some trustees questioned if it could be at the public works parking lot near village hall instead.

Trustees said that location could take advantage of traffic from the baseball games held across the street.

However, Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch said the site was used for the previous market without much success.

She said the traffic on Route 83 should bring more customers, and the parking lot - which the park district seems open to sharing - would be ideal for some farmers' bigger trailers.

The initiative is also expected to cost the village nothing, since the work will be done by staff.

"We'd be seeking a sponsor every week to offset our costs," Neukirch said.

The expenses are estimated at $4,750, and the village expects to bring in $6,800 through the vendor fees and sponsorship.

She said the staff and intern Brett Kryska have also researched farmers, some from as far away as Wisconsin and Minnesota, who have shown an interest in participating and have worked with other area villages that have their own markets.

Neukirch said the decision to hold the market on Sundays was pushed by the fact that other towns have theirs on Saturdays, so the same vendors could come to both.

The market is expected to attract 12 to 15 vendors of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other goods.

"I think it's an amenity the community can embrace," Trustee Jeff Berman said.