Families stopped along Main Street to visit the Old Town Newhall Farmers Market, which celebrated its fourth anniversary on Saturday.
Stands made an L-shape next to the Newhall Library, where guests looked through various fresh vegetables, dried fruit and cheeses, and could order meals, including burritos from Fiesta Taco Grill or churros and horchata from Fresh Churro Bar.
“It is very, very hard to start up a farmers market,” said market manager Larry McClements. “So that being said, the fact that we’re in year four – we’re solid, we have a solid foot traffic, we’re solid in the community and we’re growing the market.”
McClements took over after former manager Greta Dunlap retired Jan. 1. Since then, the hours have extended from ending each farmers market at 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
McClements took over after former manager Greta Dunlap retired Jan. 1.
Other vendors were from outside of the Santa Clarita Valley, including Achadinha Cheese Company, Halaby Farms and Arreola Farm from Ventura County, as well as food cooked from En Fuego BBQ and Paella. The farmers market also included live music and a petting zoo provided by Happy Halters.
“For customers, it’s so nice,” said Jaime Arreola, Arreola Farm owner. “Everything is all fresh, so people are really happy.”
Arreola offered different kinds of produce, including lettuce, celery, cilantro, broccoli, cauliflower and aloe vera.
After she was alerted by her mother about the farmers market, Santina Tatum visited with her husband, Brad, and children, Wyatt and Coralie. Initially, they stopped by because of the petting zoo, but they picked up some dried fruit before they grabbed breakfast.
“Her mom is from Germany,” Brad said. “So back home, she’d always go to this type of market instead of a grocery store to get things. She likes to come and get the fresh fare, and it’s a great way to get the kids out of the door.”
What attracted visitors to the market was the idea of picking up fresh food grown locally, Tatum said. Originally from Oceanside, the Saugus/Valencia family said the market provided a good sense of community for Santa Clarita.
“Given where we are, people are very interested in locally grown and organic, things that are fresh and you know where it came from,” she said. “Also, you’re outside enjoying the fresh air.”
The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., located on 24500 Main Street.
