From handcrafted gifts to farm-fresh treats, the Fort Smith Farmers Market is the perfect place to find a little local magic this holiday season.
Kathy Mazyck, Treasurer and Head Cheerleader of the Fort Smith Farmers Market, encourages everyone to come out to the Farmers Market to celebrate the holiday season while also supporting local farmers and area crafters. Vendors will be offering unique gifts, delicious baked goods, breads, jams and jellies, and fresh produce.
Take Kathy’s advice and make the Market part of your holiday tradition. With more than twenty-five vendors (weather permitting), here’s just a glimpse of what’s waiting for you.
Shady Oaks Farm offers a variety of wholesome, healthy fare for when family and friends gather to share in Christmas cheer. This fourth-generation dairy farm specializes in A2 raw cow’s milk, cream, butter, Black Angus grass-fed/grain-finished beef, pasture poultry, elderberry syrup, local wildflower honey, tallow creams, and farm-fresh eggs, when available.
Continue through the Market and stop by Seth and Kayla White’s Blue Moon Mushroom Farms booth. Choose from a variety of flavorful, spore-bearing delights sure to enhance your favorite holiday dishes. And for those cold evenings gathered around the fire, pick up a package of their Mushroom Magic Cacao or Coffee Mix, the perfect companion for a quiet night in.
Elizabeth and Danny Hill, located just across the border at Hill Farm, will be on hand with turnips, carrots, and other crisp, cold-weather produce to round out your Christmas feast. This second-generation family farm will also offer homemade jellies, jams, and apple butter, all crafted from locally grown fruits and vegetables. Elizabeth will have some of her hand-painted cards and bookmarks on display, too—beautiful acrylic and watercolor pieces that make perfect stocking stuffers.
For fresh salad fixings, stop by Freedom Valley Farms for a colorful display of microgreen salad mixes, microgreen wasabi mustard, and microgreen broccoli—all grown in a chemical-free hydroponic environment.
The Farmers Market not only offers farm-fresh goodness but also showcases the creative spirit of local artisans.
Before you begin browsing their handiwork, stop by Cooki’s Creations and reward yourself with a baked treat. Cookies, cakes, pies, and breads await. As Chef Cooki herself told me, “I am a baker, so yes… I will definitely have Christmas-themed baked goods!”
With a cookie in hand, wander over to the Salem Sun Catchers booth. Salem Fisher’s holiday collection will sparkle with Christmas flair—sun catchers adorned with snowflakes and holly, along with ornaments, bracelets, and earrings. Pick up one of her simmer pot kits, a stovetop potpourri that fills your home with a soothing, natural fragrance. Your guests will love it.
And while you’re exploring the Market’s many creative talents, don’t miss Thomas Hughes’ woodworking booth. After retiring, Thomas discovered he wasn’t one to sit still. A lifelong fan of working with wood, he began crafting birdhouses and quickly earned a loyal following. His pieces are not only beautifully made but wonderfully unique: barns complete with farm equipment and pumpkins, bell-towered churches, and even an old western saloon.
The Market will close after December and reopen on March 1, so you still have every Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon to shop before the winter break. Located at the corner of 2nd Street and Garrison Avenue, the Fort Smith Farmers Market is well worth a trip.
As an added reason to visit, shopping at the Market not only supports River Valley farmers and artisans but also helps fund their monthly donations to Hope Campus, a Fort Smith nonprofit working to break the cycle of homelessness through food, shelter, and life-skills programs.
From Kathy Mazyck, all the Farmers Market vendors, and everyone at Hope Campus—Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
