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Auburn Farmers Market updates layout, payment services and summer events as season continues
Summary
City of Auburn staff and interns say the market has expanded programming, moved EBT services and continued vendor donations; market volunteers and entertainers are supporting weekly attendance through Sept. 14.
The Auburn Farmers Market is running Sundays through Sept. 14 and this summer has rolled out a revised layout, new payment-location arrangements and a calendar of community entertainment, City of Auburn staff said on the Auburn on Main podcast. Communications Manager Jonathan Glover urged listeners to “check out the Auburn Farmers Market every Sunday until September 14.”
Why it matters: the market serves as a regular venue for local vendors, food-security donations and family programming. Organizers said the market’s changes aim to improve accessibility for shoppers and make it easier for low-income residents to use benefits at the market.
City staff and volunteers described the operational changes and activity in the market. June Maeva, who handles market duties for the Parks department, said, “We have the EBT in the Let’s Go Building now. No more WIC,” noting the market has consolidated benefit-processing and moved some services indoors for the season. Mackenzie Mullen, the City of Auburn’s farmers market intern, said the season has been “awesome,” praising vendors and volunteers who staff the information booth and run giveaways.
Organizers said they reworked the vendor layout to “maximize the space” near the stage, Lesco Building and rock wall to improve traffic flow and access to the splash pad and free-climb activities. Volunteers distribute tote bags and kid kits on giveaway weeks, and the market schedules noon entertainment most Sundays, with upcoming acts including Japanese taiko drumming and a reptile program from a recurring performer.
The market also reported charitable and economic figures during the program. Staff said vendors donated 2,451 pounds of produce to the Auburn Food Bank in 2024 and that total vendor sales first passed $500,000 in 2023. On the market’s history, staff said the current iteration began in February 2009 (with some records and earlier articles referencing 2008 or earlier community markets); before 2022 the event was called the Auburn International Farmers Market.
Beyond weekly shopping, organizers highlighted special events tied to the market and city calendar: the Auburn Community Art Sale, the Postmark biennial on July 23, Party on the Plaza/Rock the Block events with food trucks and a beer garden, the Seussical Junior theater production, a July 27 veggie-car race for kids, and a chili cookoff between Police and Fire departments in August where attendees sample and vote. Staff recommended checking Auburn’s community calendar for schedules and giveaways.
What didn’t change: there were no formal policy actions or votes announced on the program; the podcast promoted market programming and described operational changes and volunteer roles rather than adopting new ordinances or contracts.
Organizers asked the public to watch the city calendar for week-by-week entertainment and to follow the market through mid-September. “Check out the Auburn Farmers Market every Sunday until September 14,” Glover said.
Ending note: the market team encouraged prospective vendors, volunteers and visitors to contact the Parks department’s market staff for details on participation, volunteer shirts, giveaways and EBT assistance this season.
