Royal Palm Beach to have Wednesday green market through summer

As Florida heats up and Palm Beach County cities wind down their popular weekend green markets, one village is gearing up for a new kind of farmers market.

Royal Palm Beach’s Village Council last week gave the OK for a new Wednesday green market and bazaar, an evening version of the popular Sunday event.

“Over the past few years we’ve gotten feedback from patrons and vendors asking for a weekday market,” said organizer Kathy Gilbert with POTTC Events. Her group has put on the Royal Palm Beach Green Market and Bazaar for five years at the village’s Veterans Park.

The current season ends Sunday, but residents eager to find local honey, produce and handcrafted goods now will be able to go to Veterans Park from 4 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday from May 2 to Sept. 26, except July 4.

Gilbert said choosing the day meant finding one that would work if the village asks her to hold the weekday market year-round. “This wouldn’t interfere with the existing Sunday market,” she said.

She already has received positive feedback from vendors eager to sign up for a Wednesday evening slot. “People love the atmosphere of Veterans Park,” she said. “The park is the perfect setting for a green market.”

Offering the event on a weekday also could draw people who can’t make it on Sundays, Gilbert said. “It’s relaxing,” she said of the green market. “You see people walking their dogs, talking with their neighbors. The community loves it.”

Free parking is available. A shuttle also will be available, if needed, to ferry attendees who park at Village Hall.