Joey Marcy and Miranda Pendergraft were selling apricots and several varieties of cherries at Sunday’s Market on Main. The apricots were ready only a day earlier. Heading into the summer season, more produce is available at the market, and throughout July and August, the market will be open Wednesday evenings in addition to its regular Saturday. (Richard McGuire photo)

Market on Main starts its Wednesday evening markets this week for the fourth year in a row.

The Wednesday markets run through the months of July and August at Town Square from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“It’s something for people to do in the evening in the summer months,” said Janis St. Louis, chair of the market’s board.

The timing of the extra market day also coincides with the arrival of produce – Saturday’s market saw several cherry varieties and apricots on sale, along with the usual assortment of locally made crafts and tasting of local wines.

The market also runs on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. throughout the entire season from the beginning of May to the end of September.

St. Louis said there are some differences in the types of people who come on the different market days.

People coming on Wednesday may be on their way to dinner or they’ve just finished dinner and are out for a walk. They may be drawn in by the live music, which is performed on both market days.

“We get more families at that time I think,” St. Louis said, referring to Wednesday evenings. “Maybe less produce is purchased at that time.”

When the Wednesday markets were first launched in 2013, they started in Gyro Park. Halfway through the summer of 2014, they moved to Town Square.

“We tried it at Gyro for a little bit, but with the music, it was almost too large a venue for our market,” St. Louis said.

Because vendors are juried and must sell local products, Market on Main is smaller than some of the public markets elsewhere where vendors sell imported goods.

St. Louis said the change to Town Square has worked well. Although the Wednesday markets are smaller, some vendors sell at both markets and some sell Wednesdays only.

“You can wander through and listen to some music and you don’t have to buy anything,” said St. Louis. “But you often find something you’d like to have. I end up buying a lot of my Christmas presents over the summer months.”

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times