August 8, 2023 By Carol Britton Meyer
The Select Board has proclaimed Saturday, Aug. 12, as Hingham Farmers Market Day in conjunction with Massachusetts Farmers Market Week and National Farmers Market Week, Aug. 6-12.
The proclamation, issued at last night’s board meeting, acknowledges that farmers markets “are essential to the vitality of Massachusetts farms and are part of the cultural tradition of the Commonwealth.”
HFM President Mark Cullings told the board that the market “has never been better. This Saturday will mark our 14th of the season, with corn and tomatoes coming out of our ears.”
During peak season, there can be up to 90 people at 9 a.m. waiting in line for the sound of the bell announcing the opening of the market for the day. “The market wouldn’t exist without the support of the town,” he said.
Thanks to the generosity of the Fruit Center Marketplace, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is active. Hingham Institution for Savings is also an annual supporter of the market.
The HFM — now in its 45th season and the third-oldest farmers market in the state — is among the 216 summer/fall farmers markets in Massachusetts that create “a festive open-air setting that enhances community spirit and civic pride by offering a natural place for community gathering.”
Farmers markets also help heighten public awareness of the agricultural diversity of Massachusetts and the benefits of buying local and preserving open space and also have a positive impact on patrons and the local economy.
HFM operates at the Station Street parking lot on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through the Saturday before Thanksgiving.