Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune.Deepa Beshmukh, a private-sector dietician, speaks with Ralph Lopez of Michigan-based Lopez Farms at the Aurora Farmers Market on Oct. 8, 2022.
When Meghan Dwyer learned the Everyday Edgebrook Farmers Market would be canceled this summer, she felt gutted.As her thoughts raced, Dwyer wanted more information. She began to wonder, “Can we take it over?” She said her Facebook post posing the question quickly snowballed into a Zoom meeting with other moms who were similarly saddened by the news.
The group began coordinating for the summer 2023 season, and as a result, the Everyday Edgebrook Farmers Market will return to the corner of Hiawatha and Central avenues on July 1 at 9 a.m. with a new roster of vendors and activities for kids at every market.The group of moms organizing said they envision the market becoming a space for community members to spend time together outdoors and also a force driving traffic to nearby businesses.
Many of the storefronts around Edgebrook’s business district are vacant, Dwyer said. A former Starbucks location sits empty and will continue to until the lease runs out, she said. Dwyer said the community misses having the coffee shop as a “hub of the neighborhood.” With this, Jennifer Bassik, another member of the group, said she’s not at all experienced in the world of farmers markets, but the chance to create a space that she feels reflects the life and energy of the community inspired her to volunteer.What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now.