Located off State Street next to the Binford House, 34 vendors have signed up to offer their wares this year. Market Manager Trisha Wilder said it is the largest number of vendors at the beginning of the season and there will be six new vendors.

The new sellers will provide fresh lemonade, eggs, flowers, sweet corn and desserts, some which will be allergen-friendly. She said 2024 will also see the return of homemade dog treats, a mixed media artist and homemade hygiene products, such as body oils and butters.

“Not all of the vendors will be here at the same time,” Wilder said.

Twenty minutes into opening the market, she had seen a lot of regular customers. Counting the bodies is just one of the duties Wilder has taken on as market manager.

The Prairie Creek Street Band performs at the first day of the Cartwright Farmers Market on Wednesday. The market will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of October.

“We have a pretty loyal customer base,” she said. “I’m trying to keep an eye out for more, and I know I’m not catching everyone.”

To help with the myriad of tasks, Wilder is looking for volunteers.

“I’m looking for people who would help with directing traffic and helping vendors to their spots,” she said. “We want to bring back kids’ activities, but we need someone to transport that stuff and watch the area. For our board, we are looking for extra people, like a secretary to keep records and help us with auditing.”

The childrens’ activities Wilder hopes to bring back are simple, such as a bubble station, a sensory table, face painting, sidewalk chalk and various arts and crafts. She said in previous years, they would have areas in which children could plant flower seeds in little cups filled with soil.

“Anything simple and fun for the kids,” she said.

Unfortunately, they have to contend with further State Street construction. Last year, the work on the road reduced the farmers market traffic significantly. Wilder said they lost 40 percent of their business. Some reasons for that, she said, were that people did not have a place to park and drivers had to navigate narrow alleys, which made accessing the parking lot all the more difficult.

“Everyone’s trying to come up and down a one-land wide alleyway,” Wilder said. “People were not happy. It was a pain in the butt to find a place to park.”

The farmers market is already contending with a lower number of parking spots. The State Street project took away half of the parking spaces on the road. Drivers can now only park on one side. The lack of parking this year might prevent Cartwright from implementing new or different activities.

“We’re going to wait and see how crazy it gets with the regular market as we go into June,” she said. “Typically when school gets out, it gets busier here. If it gets too much, I’m not sure it will be safe to add larger activities than the market.”

The challenge does not completely prevent Cartwright from taking on different things. Wilder said if a nonprofit wants to have a table at the market, they can get one at no cost.

“We’re always happy to host anything from the community,” she said. “If it’s good for the community, it’s another nonprofit, for schools, they can just come up and do their activity. We just let them find a spot and do their thing.”

For example, Wilder said Trees Forever will offer free trees on May 11.

She hopes Marshalltown residents will stop by, visit the market and check out what they have to offer. The last day for Cartwright will be Oct. 30.

CARTWRIGHT DOWNTOWN FARMER’S MARKET

When: 4-7 p.m. Wednesdays; 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays

Where: 108 N. Second Ave.

Online: Facebook @CartwrightMarket

Contact: To volunteer or inquire about getting a table set up, email cartwright.market@gmail.com or call Trisha Wilder at 641-351-9181

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.