VERGENNES — After two years on the North Main Street home of Kennedy Brothers, the Vergennes Farmers Market will return late this spring to its former longtime home on the city’s central green.
City Manager Matt Chabot and Mayor Renny Perry reached out to farmers market organizers to gauge their interest in returning downtown, and according to organizer Christopher Reck they addressed the issues that led the market to move to the Kennedy Brothers parking lot in 2017 — a lack of parking and restrooms downtown. 
“We have always felt that the market should be in the center of the city,” Reck wrote in an email to the Independent. “The market was approached by the city manager and mayor to discuss solutions to the market’s concerns. They generously offered reserved parking on market days for customers and vendors as well as the use of the bathroom in the opera house.”
Chabot said city officials wanted to restore a bit of life back to the city’s central park.
“At a personal level I felt that the farmers market always brought a high level of animation and a certain level of excitement to the city green,” Chabot said. “It to my mind is a very logical site for an event of this nature.”
Chabot said he got support from the city council last week and he is studying the options for the city to meet its parking commitment to the market. He expects vendors to set up along the front of the green, near Main Street.
“That’s the prime real estate,” he said. “I assume they will start toward the Main Street side and then fill in from there.”
Reck said market organizers are expecting up to 20 vendors when the market opens in the second week of June, Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The market will remain in operation through the first week of October and feature live music.
Offerings will include fresh farm produce, local meat, bread and baked goods, pre-made hot food, cheese, handmade wood products, crafts, jewelry and art, and maple products, Reck said.
“We are happy to be back on the green,” Reck added. “We are also very appreciative of the support of the owners and businesses at Kennedy Brothers.”
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].