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Ring in summer at these 14 farmers markets in Pierce & Thurston counties

Ring in summer at these 14 farmers markets in Pierce & Thurston counties

Yahoo08-05-2025
Farmers market season is well underway in the South Sound, with events every day but Wednesday, and there's at least one newcomer to check out in Pierce County.
The year-round Proctor Farmers Market in Tacoma has been in high-season since April, following a busier-than-usual winter with two markets each month instead of just one. The downtown market on Broadway and the big Saturday event in Puyallup also kicked off last month.
Growing markets in Lakewood, DuPont and 10-year-old Gig Harbor also continue in 2025, while University Place welcomes its first farmers market to Cirque Park every Friday afternoon into the evening.
That one is run by Patty Villa, who also spearheaded a market at Sunrise Village for a few years now. (Note that the latter Sunday morning market has moved to bigger digs at Frontier Park this summer.)
Villa had been developing the UP market with the city before learning that nearby Steilacoom would cancel its market (and its popular summer concert series) due to funding challenges, she told The News Tribune in an email. She said she was sorry to see a market falter, adding that if UP 'can help fill the void they left, that is a bonus.'
'The purpose is to bring local products to the community, including fresh produce and other foods, provide a wholesome activity, and support and incubate small local businesses,' as she described the boost farmers markets can provide to the local economy and culture. 'Good economic-development activity on a small scale.'
In Thurston County, the venerable Olympia Farmers Market, which turns 50 this year, continues three days a week through October. (Note that it's listed below on Saturday but also runs Thursday and Friday.) There are also weekend markets in Tenino and Tumwater.
Find our guide to all the farmers markets in Pierce and Thurston counties below, organized by day. Many accept SNAP/EBT payment, and a few offer Market Match dollars, which extend those support programs by allowing participants to purchase more fresh produce, plant starts and seeds. A separate Pierce County grant is also available for seniors.
▪ Fort Steilacoom Park, cityoflakewood.us/FarmersMarket
▪ June 3-Aug. 26, 2-7 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: lots of space and lunch options, plus fresh take-home foods and lawn games
▪ Broadway from 9th to 11th, tacomafarmersmarket.com
▪ April 3-Sept. 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (no market June 19)
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match and Tacoma sustainability grant for total match up to $35
▪ Great for: lunch outside; bonus gifts like jewelry, dried lavender, handmade soaps
▪ Skansie Brothers Park, waterfrontfarmersmarket.org
▪ May 22-Aug. 28, 1-6 p.m.
▪ Great for: market with a view and some vendors that don't hop the Narrows
▪ Clocktower Park, 1301 Palisade Blvd., dupontwa.gov/566/Farmers-Market
▪ May 29-July 31 (no market June 19), 3-7 p.m.
▪ Great for: park setting, early dinner and mix of vendors; fall market planned for Sept. 14
▪ North Park, Calistoga Street and Washington Avenue, ortingvalleyfarmersmarket.com
▪ May 9-Aug. 22, 3-7 p.m.
▪ Great for: views of Mt. Rainier; nice mix of produce, take-home foods, crafts and gifts
▪ Cirque Park (near skate park, enter at Cirque Drive), facebook.com
▪ June 6-Aug. 29, 3-8 p.m.
▪ Great for: Friday night in the park
▪ 700 Capitol Way N., olympiafarmersmarket.com
▪ Thursday-Sunday, April 3-Oct. 31 (weekends only November-December, Saturday only January-March), 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT plus Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: three-days-a-week shopping at one of the state's oldest markets, established in 1975
▪ North 27th and North Proctor, proctorfarmersmarket.com
▪ March 29-Dec. 20, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
▪ Winter Season 2026: Jan. 10 and 24, Feb. 14 and 28, March 14 and 28; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: lots of produce, proteins, snacks and lunch in a walkable, urban neighborhood
▪ Pioneer Park & Pavilion, 300 S. Meridian, puyallupfarmersmarket.com
▪ April 19-Oct. 11, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: tons of everything at one of WA's biggest markets, including a designated food court and crafts, in the heart of downtown
▪ Yelm Community Center, McKenzie Avenue at 2nd Street, yelmfarmersmarket.com/yfm
▪ May 3-Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT, also offers $5 Market Bucks through local bank support
▪ Great for: park access plus children's program
▪ 213 Sussex Ave., teninofarmersmarket.org
▪ May 3-Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: approachable market in downtown setting
▪ West Central Park, 1919 Harrison Ave., wcpnc.org/market
▪ May 3-Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Great for: intimate market with fresh produce and lunch options, plus live music and kids activities
▪ Frontier Park, facebook.com/TheVillageFarmersMarket
▪ May 4-July 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT
▪ Note: new location for former Sunrise Village market to allow for more vendors and amenities
▪ Great for: the only Sunday market in Pierce County
▪ Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School (Capital and Dennis), thetumwaterfarmersmarket.com
▪ 2nd and 4th Sunday, June 8-Sept. 28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Accepts SNAP/EBT with Market Match up to $25
▪ Great for: local produce, take-home foods and live music, plus playground and space for families
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Between 60 percent and 80 percent of Buche's customers rely on SNAP, accounting for nearly half of his revenue. Buche said he's weighing layoffs in order to keep his doors open. Republican lawmakers, many of whom represent districts with substantial numbers of food aid recipients, defended their megabill, saying the cuts will ultimately help low-income families and their local communities. 'Grocers are good people, hard-working families, and they only make a 1 to 2 percent margin,' said House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.), a top negotiator in the plan to slash SNAP. 'A significant number of people who currently are on SNAP through unemployment will now be climbing a ladder of opportunity, which [means] they'll be able to have more resources to buy more food. So our grocers are going to do well with this.' Thompson said grocers have been 'the victim of fear mongering by the Democrats' and the benefits restrictions will be a boon to their industry. Democrats like Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) disagree and are exploring ways to mitigate the SNAP cuts through upcoming legislation and negotiations. 'We'll use every tool at our disposal,' said Brown, deputy ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee. 'I know there's been some conversation around a skinny farm bill, and I don't know, candidly, what that will look like. But if there's any opportunity to reverse course or to supplement funds, I will certainly do that.' Several Republican and Democratic state officials have already warned that it will be difficult to backfill the loss of federal dollars. They will need to consider redirecting funds from existing programs, cutting benefits, raising taxes or finding some alternative method to protect their budgets. 'I don't think any state is going to cut [SNAP benefits],' Thompson said. 'If they do, the governors and state legislators that do the cuts are not going to be governors and state legislators for very long.' Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) said that his state is bracing for 'tens of thousands of people' losing access to SNAP. 'The key here is that if we keep enough folks buying at local rural grocery stores, those local rural grocery stores have a higher chance to survive,' Vasquez said. 'We have to make sure folks either have money in their pocket and that states can make up the shortfall in SNAP cuts to preserve that access, or for other folks, provide alternate means to be able to feed them.'

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