By DREW WINCHESTER, “mailto:dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com”>dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

Starting Saturday, Oct. 25, downtown Cape Coral will feature two open-air markets that signal the return of fresh food, good times and the start of cooler, and much welcome, weather.

The Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce will kick things off with the Farmer’s Market that particular Saturday, bringing back produce, plants, seafood and select delicacies for the vegetable lover.

Though the chamber has been running the show for the last 9 years, the Farmer’s Market has been a Cape tradition for nearly two decades.

Organizer Claudia St. Onge said the chamber’s focus was to make the market more of an event by adding things like live music and fresh, ready-to-eat food.

“We added community organizations and events to make it more of a Saturday morning destination than a market,” St. Onge said. “You know, there are those people who just come in, grab their tomatoes, and go. But there are also those who come out to connect with their neighbors.“

The produce will be an amalgam of local and state growers, with fresh fruits and veggies, native plants and trees, and fresh-from-the-gulf seafood.

Though most of the vendors come from right here in Southwest Florida, St. Onge said she gets growers from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. In comparison, people who visit the market tend come from every corner of the local five-county area.

“They really come from all over,” St. Onge said. “I take it upon myself sometimes to take random surveys and get ZIP codes. They come from Charlotte, they come from Collier, from everywhere.“

St. Onge said she’s done some research on other farmer’s markets in the past, gathering the ideas for the Cape.

This year she’s added someone who’ll be selling fresh smoothies and iced lattes, another vendor selling homemade dog items such as biscuits, and someone selling select handcrafted items.

And then there’s the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Science Lee County Extension service, which St. Onge invited to help educate and inform those market goers looking for more than just fresh tomatoes for Healthy Lifestyles Month.

The first Farmer’s Market of the year will also be the sight of the Cape Dog Bakery’s 4th annual Halloween Costume Contest.

Judging starts at 11 a.m. with all proceeds will be donated to charity. Prizes will be awarded for Scariest Dog, Funniest Dog, Best Overall Costume, Cutest Dog and Best Large Dog, among others.



CRA’s Street Market

The Farmer’s Market comes along right before the next big event downtown, the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Street Market.

Starting on Nov. 1, the street market will be held the first Saturday of each month through April.

The market attracted thousands of people last year who stopped by to browse through antiques, original artwork, handcrafted gifts and upscale collectible pieces.

This year will be no different, as CRA Marketing Manager Helen Ramey has managed to secure more than 70 individual vendors for this year’s market.

‘We’re 90 percent leased, that’s more than 70 vendors,” Ramey said. “We have only a few spots left.”

Last year’s market went so well Ramey claimed she “had to pinch herself,” but she also knew she had to make this year’s market even more spectacular.

This year will feature a couple additions, including live music and an antique cars show.

The “3 T’s Car Club” will have a bunch of vintage, stock and classic cars for the auto enthusiast, and Tom’s Traveling Tunes will be providing all the music by spinning classic and contemporary hits.

The inclusion of the car club especially was important for Ramey, who wanted to give the guys something to do while they’re wives and girlfriends peruse the innumerable bargains.

“A lot of the time we have ladies come out with their husbands in tow,” she said. “Now there’s something for the ladies to do and the guys can check out the cars. They’ll really be some nice vehicles out there.”

Another added bonus this year is the installation of new sidewalks that branch the area of the market to the area of the farmer’s market in Club Square.

That’s another great feature of the street market: on certain days it will run concurrently with the farmer’s market, which will bring people out to enjoy downtown Cape for hours at a time.

“Its a matter of a couple hundred feet from the Street Market down to the Farmer’s Market,” Ramey said, excited. “It’s marvelous. You can get fresh vegetables and flowers and food at the Farmer’s Market, then you can come to our market and check out the antiques, collectibles and art. It’s a great mixture.”

To Go

What
Chamber of Commerce’s
Farmer’s Market

When
Every Saturday until April
beginning Oct. 25, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where
Club Square, Southeast 47th Terrace

What
CRA’s Street Market

When
Every First Saturday until April
beginning Nov. 1, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where
1 block east of Club Square on
Southeast 47th Terrace
For more information on both events, contact the respective agencies directly. The Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 239-549-6900, and the CRA at 239-549-5615.