MANISTIQUE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Manistique Famer & Artisan Market has returned for another year.
“I’m feeling great!” said Emily Navarra-Meftah, one of the Market Managers. “Finally, we are all outside together. It’s great to see faces from last year and new faces join this year.”
The market runs each Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. On May 28, a large group of eager patrons arrived early for opening day.
Given a tough spring growing season, Navarra-Meftah is thrilled with the number of vendors offering fresh produce and other products.
“On this side, we’ve got eight farms,” she said. “Last year, we originally had consistently maybe four to five farms. Then we have a mix of specialty vendors, artisanal foods, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and artisans on this side.”
The market is expected to keep growing throughout the summer. Returning vendors like Steve Pell of Pell’s Pie Patch & Family Farm know why.
“It definitely draws a crowd and brings people in,” said Pell, who sells bread, bagels, and pies. “We’re all trying to earn a living with what we can make ourselves at home, and then we like to bring a healthier product to the community as well.”
Craig Hepker, owner of Hepker White Berry Farm, is another returning vendor. The farm is currently in its third week of picking asparagus, with strawberry season just around the corner. He says the Farmer & Artisan Market allows him to interact with new customers that he wouldn’t otherwise reach.
“Maybe some people don’t even know that we have a farm this close to Manistique, so this is a learning experience for the customers. Some people just can’t physically can’t make it out there but they can make it to the Farmers Market, and this is a great way for us to get them that fresh produce that they want.”
Market Manager Eric Meftah says access to that fresh produce can increase food security.
“I think you can get 80% – 90% of the main things that most people get here,” he said. “If you can, try to come to the Farmers Market before you go to the other stores, fill up on that, and then fill in the cracks with the other stores.”
The market has also partnered with Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital for Food as Medicine.
“This program would give them access to fresh food and essentially prescribe them food as medicine,” explained Navarra-Meftah. “Patients could receive up to $300 for the season, which would go through the end of September. We also have other vendors participating in the UPCAP U.P. Fresh Fruit Access. That’s going to give a patient things like honey, eggs, wild rice, meat, bread. It’s something that Schoolcraft County really needs.”
Navarra-Meftah says both market managers and vendors aim to cultivate a spirit of collaboration throughout the 2025 Manistique Farmer & Artisan Market.
“We have had vendors that are using fruits from another vendor and implementing that,” she said. “That was really great to see. I’m feeling like it’s going to be a great season.”
The Manistique Farmer & Artisan Market takes place between Lake Effect Community Arts, located at 244 South Cedar Street, and Triangle Park. For more information on the market, click here.