As the Main Street Market enters its third season, each event will now have its own theme to streamline activities for kids and families. Meanwhile, the city is also preparing for its first full season of farmers markets.
The first Main Street Market of the season from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 8 will have a summer beach bash theme, with everything from the music to the children’s play opportunities.
The markets this year will also have a designated family fun zone, which is something they tried out at previous markets.
This change is coming as the Convention and Visitors Bureau continues to work on its rebrand.
The number of vendors is likely to be around the same as last year, averaging around 65-70 at each market. The ultimate goal is to eventually hit 100 vendors.
Last year’s market season received positive feedback from the community, said Amy DeLaRosa, vice-president and Main Street Market chairperson.
The market dates will be the second Thursday of the month, but like last year, the market will run in conjunction with the CPA Picnic both Thursday and Friday. The CPA Picnic will run June 12-14.
DeLaRosa encourages community members to invite their friends and family from out of town to continue to get the word out.
“I think the market is really a great way to experience small town America, and we’ve got it right here in Eudora. You don’t have to go look anywhere else for it,” she said.
Eudora’s Farmers Market will have its first full season starting May 13. There will be 17 markets over the course of the season from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday evenings other than weeks that the Main Street Market runs. The farmers market is hosted in the Village Green area in Nottingham Center.
With the three trial markets at the end of the market season last year, Assistant Parks and Rec Director Jimmy Kegin said he saw the market was of interest to the community.
Being able to start at the beginning of the produce season versus the end will make a big difference in what farmers and vendors are able to bring, he said.
The plan is to have about a dozen vendors at each event, but there could be up to about 19, he said. Most of the vendors from last season have committed to coming back because of how much they enjoyed the trial markets, he said.
There will also be acoustic musicians performing during each of the markets. Kegin said he also hopes to have a couple of food trucks.
He said the city would get more trash cans, benches, lawn games and accessible bathrooms. There will be face painting, balloon animals and other offerings to give kids something to do during the market.
Kegin said there will be opportunities to use EBT and other benefits this year.
Rustic Flour, Bread and Pie will be one of the market’s new vendors this year. Owner Jenea Schmidt started her small bakery in 2023 and bakes out of her home in west Shawnee.
She will have sourdough, fruit and cream pies, cinnamon rolls and more at the markets. Many of her recipes were passed down from her grandmother, she said.
Schmidt said baking and feeding people is her love language so she is excited to branch out to Eudora. She sells items at some micro markets in western Shawnee and Olathe. With all the growth in the area, Eudora seemed like a good place to expand her offerings, she said.
Everything is handmade and she tries to locally source everything, which makes her bakery unique, she said.
There will also be a youth makers market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10 at the Barbwire Barbecue patio. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is still looking for young people to sign up for this event.
In previous years, kids have sold their handmade art, jewelry, crocheted items and more. Ages 6 to 17 will be allowed to register.
To see the requirements, parent code of conduct and registration, click here
