Arnold will hold three evening farmers markets over the next three months.
The city announced Monday it will hold markets from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month starting in August. The evening markets are scheduled to be held Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21.
“We are calling it Farm Fresh at Sunset,” said Ajsa Roach, Parks and Recreation Department deputy director. “We will hold it in August, September and October to see how things go, and then we will reevaluate.”
The Arnold Farmers Market is in its 15th season and is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The market is near the entrance of Arnold City Park at 1 Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.
The city expanded the market this year with the addition of 40 vendor spaces, and the market typically had 80 vendors at each market.
Arnold also built a pavilion in the middle of the new spaces, and it recently added an additional parking lot just north of the market.
Last year, the city installed a permanent restroom building at the market.
“We have made quite a bit of improvements to the market, and we want to be able to expand the hours,” Roach said. “We understand that not everyone is available on Saturdays. We figured right now is the best time.”
Roach said city and farmers market representatives have discussed adding a weekday evening market with vendors and customers, and the response has been positive.
She said the city expects to have 80 vendors at the evening markets, just as it does on Saturdays.
“We have had a lot of interest,” Roach said. “The season’s vendors knew about this potentially happening, and we have gotten a lot of interest from vendors wanting to participate.”
Roach said vendors will pay $10 to participate in each of the evening markets.
The city charges vendors $25 for a space at each Saturday market, or vendors may pay $300 to participate in every market for a season. This year’s Arnold Farmers Market season started May 2 and runs through Oct. 31.
Roach said the evening market will operate like the Saturday market.
“We want it to be a fun, family atmosphere,” she said. “We will not have special events (for the evening markets), but we will have live music, a variety of vendors and fun things for families to do.”
Arnold also holds a Christmas Market, which will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12, and it has three Winter Markets scheduled to be held from 9-11:30 a.m. on Feb. 13, March 13 and April 10.
Roach said the city is not planning to hold evening markets during the winter.
“In the winter, we do have to cancel markets sometimes in January and February because of the weather,” she said.
Roach said the city is excited to offer three more shopping days for farmers market customers.
“We are always looking for different ways to improve our market,” she said. “I think we have done a good job with adding parking, additional stalls, the pavilion and the bathrooms. We have added so many things, and we want to make sure the community can use it.”
The new parking lot opened on July 11. It is accessible by turning left on Hollywood Beach Road after entering the park.
The new lot has added about 120 parking spaces near the market. Dave Crutchley, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the city paid about $25,000 to make the lot.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback” Roach said of the new parking lot. “People are very happy with it. We are very happy. We encourage people to use that lot, and there is a walking path to the market. It is close to the market area.”
For more information, call 636-275-6987, email arnoldfarmersmarket@gmail.com, go to the market’s page on arnoldmo.org or its Facebook page.