A State Fair Sunday
It's the first Sunday of the Minnesota State Fair — and the quietest, ripest morning of the week is still under the Water Tower. Sunday, August 30, 9 am to 1 pm.
From the market journal archive. Dates, vendors, and events below refer to this article’s week.
The Great Minnesota Get-Together opened this week, and this Sunday is its first Sunday. We love the Fair as much as anybody — a few of our own vendors are over there right now, and we'll welcome them back to their stalls soon.
But here's the thing about the last Sunday of August: it's also one of the best market mornings of the year. The harvest doesn't take a Fair break. Melons, tomatoes, peppers, and sweet corn are all at full strength, the flowers are still coming in armloads, and the whole morning runs at exactly the speed the fairgrounds don't.
So if you're saving your Fair trip for a weekday — or you've already had your bucket of cookies — come spend the quiet version of Sunday with us: August 30, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, 7800 Golden Valley Road, under the Water Tower.
The weather looks warm and summery: partly sunny and heading for the mid-80s, with a small chance of an early sprinkle that should clear the way for a bright late morning.
Straight From Nearby Fields
Beck's, Svihel's, Yang's Fresh Flowers and Vegetables, Bao Yang, 2JCK Produce, and The Farm of Minnesota anchor the produce rows with melons, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, beans, and crisp greens.
And this is it: the last Sunday of August, which makes it your last sure chance at Mark Freiderichs' cut gladiolas. If you've been meaning to put a fistful of them on the kitchen table, this is the week.
Bakers, Roasters & Specialty Makers
Café Verte, Great Harvest Bread Company, The Nelson Loaf, and Cornerstone Wellness cover the bread and pastry end of things, and BAKE! Gluten Free Goodies is back for everyone who shops the gluten-free shelf. For the pantry and the sweet tooth, Lake of Fire Foods brings the heat, Yummytizers brings the snacks, Chocolate San Jose has single-origin chocolate, and TNT Coffee Lab pours a proper cup.
The Pantry Shelf
Local staples that keep: pickles and preserves from Schyma's, honey from Bee Sweet Honey, a wedge or two from the Wisconsin Cheese Outlet, and pasture-raised meat from Early Boots Farm and the Veteran's Farming Initiative.
Handmade & Homegrown
Wonder Paper Art, Weaving & Turning, Tropical Island Seashells, and Hand Heart Beads bring the handmade goods, with Your Craft and Collectible rounding out the row. Sarahgirl Soap, Loveage Root, and Lovely Skin by Miriam have the self-care shelf, and Wild Iron Cooking has the kitchen covered, refurbished cast iron included.
Hungry Now? Ready to Eat
Come with an appetite. Crepe & Cake, JM Bistro, Atacama Catering, Midlife Coffee, and Lziza Mediterranean will keep you fed from open to close.
At the Music Tent
The same back-to-back pairing as last week, and it worked so well we're doing it again: Kirk & Low open the morning from 9:00 to 11:00, and Steve West takes it home from 11:00 to 1:00. Bring a chair if you're the sitting type.
Meet Our Community Partners
Say hello to the neighbors who make this a community and not just a marketplace: PRISM, the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners (bring your end-of-summer garden questions), the City of Golden Valley, and Renewal by Andersen.
The Golden Valley Vikings are here too, with the story of ISD 275. If you've lived in Golden Valley a while, or if you just like knowing how a place got to be the way it is, it's worth a few minutes.
Start Your Sunday Right
Roll out your mat for a free yoga session with Hand Heart Yoga at 9:30 am, stop by SOAR Stretch Therapy to keep the good feeling going, and visit our youth entrepreneur booth to cheer on Noa Goltzman.
See who's here this week on our This Week's Vendors page, and we'll see you Sunday, August 30, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at 7800 Golden Valley Road — under the Water Tower. The Fair has the crowds; we'll have the sweet corn.