The smoke and discomfort of the 416 Fire couldn’t kill the inaugural season of the Animas City Farmers Market, and now the north Main Avenue block party is back, bigger and better for the second season.
The whole shebang also has a new moniker: Animas City Night Bazaar.
“We were out there in the smoke and the rain, and I can’t say every market was a success, but we had some successful ones, and we learned the community really wanted something like this,” said Erin Murphy, co-organizer of the Animas City Night Bazaar.
Vendors offering fresh, locally grown produce will return, but along with the farmers market, the bazaar will have space for artists, craftspeople and food vendors.
“There are a lot of cool potters, jewelers and photographers who don’t have a good outlet to sell, and we’ll offer them an environment that they didn’t have before. We’ll have a shopping experience that you can’t find anywhere else,” Murphy said.
About 25 vendors are lined up for the first event on May 29, and Murphy said space remains for a few more vendors, who can contact the Animas City Night Bazaar on its webpage under the vendor tab.
Craft beers, wines and live music also will be available for the spring and summer bashes that will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month from May through September at 3057 Main Ave., in the parking lot behind Smile by Design.
The new location, in the alley behind Mountain Middle School, offers advantages away from the traffic on Main Avenue.
“It will be less stressful for all of us parents,” Murphy said.
Besides increasing safety, the new location will also offer a space to add furniture to create an outdoor living room where games and conversations can be held. The environment will be enhanced by a mural that is on the back wall of Think Network Technologies, 3067 Main Ave.
In 2018, Animas City Farmers Market was held Wednesday evenings during the summer, a frequency that proved overwhelming for the all-volunteer group to organize properly, Murphy said. Dates for the Animas City Night Bazaar have been compacted to the last Wednesday of the month to provide better organization and support for each event.
Dates and themes for the bazaars will be:
May 29: Dance Night.June 26: Game Night.July 31: Food Fest.Aug. 28: Creative Night.Sept. 25: The Ultimate.Murphy said the theme for the grand finale event, The Ultimate, is “super secret.” She added, “We want to add some strange unexpected twists to keep things fresh and unique.”
Animas City Farmers Market was initiated by Sage and Taylor Anderson, owners of 81301 Coffee, to create a stronger sense of community among residents and businesses in the north Main Avenue neighborhood. And creating a stronger north Main Avenue community will remain the mission of the Animas City Night Bazaar, Murphy said.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
