Within the next week, three farmers markets in Cowley County will open for the season. The Walnut Valley Farmers Market will open on Saturday, May 29 at the entrance to Island Park in Winfield from 7:30-11:00 a.m. The Ark City Farm and Art Market will open Tuesday, June 1 under the Rotunda at Wilson Park, 701 N Summit from 4:00-6:30 p.m. Dexter’s market, now called Bebo’s Place, has moved to 310 E Valley Street, and will start on Friday, June 4 from 8:00-11:30 a.m. These locations will be open with new products each week throughout the summer season.
Potential vendors or customers can get more information by visiting each market’s Facebook page. The markets will often have special entertainment and events including special drawings. Toilet and handwashing facilities are available at all market sites.
Shoppers will find a variety of hand-crafted items in addition to seasonal produce, meat, eggs, and baked goods. Retail food sales (including farmers markets) in Kansas are regulated for food safety by the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) Food Safety and Lodging program.
The Cowley Farmers Market Association oversees the Ark City Farm and Art Market and Walnut Valley Farmers Market. The market manager for both locations is LiAnne Brant. The market locations will frequently host musical guests and ready to eat food vendors in addition to the various produce, craft, and service vendors.
Bebo’s Place leadership is provided by Lynn Norris and Jennifer Moreland. The market has fourteen vendors and will feature twelve unique market sites and a mini farm with a donkey and goats. Several youth vendors will have booths. Hawaiian Literacy Day is set for June 25 which will include new books and book bags for families.
SNAP-EBT is accepted at the Farmers Markets in Arkansas City and Winfield. New for 2021 is the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Program. SNAP card users can double their benefits up to $25 per market visit in extra tokens to be used only for locally-grown fruits and vegetables. DUFB goes along with the market’s regular SNAP (EBT) card program. When customers use their EBT card to shop at the market, they get a dollar-for-dollar match in DUFB tokens, up to $25 per market day. The Double Up Food Buck tokens are active in over 50 farmers markets in Kansas and Missouri and customers may spend DUFB tokens at any participating market on locally-grown fresh produce.
Numerous produce vendors at all markets can accept Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. Low-income seniors that qualify can acquire coupon booklets of seven $5 checks to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs and local honey. Seniors interested in this program should contact Sarah Long at South Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging after June 1 at 620-442-0268.
For specific inquiries about the markets, please contact market leadership using bebosplace@yahoo.com (Bebo’s Place in Dexter) or cowleyfarmersmarketassociation@gmail.com (Ark City Farm and Art Market or Walnut Valley Farmers Market in Winfield).
