Lewes Farmers Market to relocate next spring

After 10 years at the same location, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market has to pull up stakes – at least temporarily.

In an Aug. 12 letter to its 35 vendors and numerous volunteers, market president Helaine Harris announced that the market will not be returning to the Lewes Historical Society grounds in 2016 because of planned renovations in the society's 2-acre complex.

In the letter, Harris said market volunteers were informed Aug. 7 that the historical society will hold no events on its grounds during 2016. “We appreciate that the society has rented the grounds to us for the past 10 years, and thank them. It has been a very pleasant place to be,” Harris said.

Mike DiPaolo, historical society executive director, said work at the complex is scheduled to begin this fall and depending on weather should be completed in time for the market to reopen there in spring 2017. “We fully anticipate that we will be back on the same schedule in 2017,” he said.

He said renovations include irrigation, regrading and resurveying to deal with drainage issues as well as landscaping and hardscaping to complete more pathways.

He said the complex will have new lawn areas and more native garden areas. “This is a beautiful part of the community and we want to make sure it's durable enough for the events we have here,” he said. “And for that to occur, it will take time for the landscaping to establish itself.”

DiPaolo said solving drainage problems on the grounds is complicated by existing structures and trees. “We have thought about this long and hard. Instead of trying to rush to meet deadlines, we thought the best thing would be to inform our partners of the planned work so they can make plans for next year,” he said.

DiPaolo said the historical society has been in support of the farmers market since its inception. He said the complex provides a perfect and unique setting for the market with a kitchen, a old school house for story times plus plentiful shade trees and the ambiance of the museum setting.

DiPaolo said 96,000 people a year come to the complex for events, exhibits and tours. He said it's anticipated special events hosted at the site – such as the Sea Glass Festival – will be moved to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal site.

Harris said a search is on to find another suitable market location. “We will find another great site to hold the market in the future, and it is even possible that at some time we will return to the historical society site,” she said.

“The good people of Lewes have sustained and nourished this market for 10 years, and, together as a community, we will move the market to another location and keep what we have so carefully, lovingly built in our town,” she wrote in the letter.

The Lewes farmers market – started during the summer of 2006 – has grown to become one of the most popular markets in the region. The market's home since its inception has been on the grounds of the historical society in downtown Lewes except the three or four Saturdays each spring and summer when the society hosts other weekend events. On those Saturdays, the market moves to the Richard Shields Elementary School parking lot off Savannah Road.

That's the same location for the fall market that runs this year from Oct. 3 to Nov. 21.

The market has received several accolades over the years including the designation as America's Favorite Market in 2011 by the American Farmland Trust in the medium-sized market division.