By STEVE MARTIN
Starting on Saturday, May 7, Sheridan will welcome a new Saturday morning outdoor market to the community.
The market will be open for business every other Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will take place in the parking lot of the Six Points Church located on the east edge of town, just off State Road 38. Many of you will remember this as the former Six Points Wesleyan Church.
The market is organized by residents Sharon Phillips and Amber Kiger. Including themselves, they say they hope to have 30 to 40 vendors participate in this every-other-Saturday event and offer customers a wide variety of edible and non-edible products.
Products will include a variety of baked goods such as breads, rolls, cakes, and pies. There will be vendors selling honey, maple syrup, eggs, a variety of in-season produce, and pet treats. Craft items for sale will include pottery, wood crafts, handmade clothing, body care items, soaps and shampoos, jewelry items, candles, handmade cards, and handcrafted blankets.
Phillips and Kiger say they hope local musicians might like to come out and play during the market hours for entertainment. Food truck vendors will also be available for your convenience.
On opening day on May 7, the market hopes to have a Sheridan fire truck and its crew and a police cruiser and officer on scene to interact with the public and respond to public safety questions and concerns. For the Saturday of the Independence Day holiday weekend on July 2, kids can enjoy a bounce house.
To entice younger entrepreneurs, the market will offer up Junior Vendor spots. And if your not-for-profit organization would like to have a presence, the market will collaborate with you to find a date for your group to have a spot at the market. Junior Vendors and not-for-profits are asked to contact Sharon Phillips at (317) 345-1682 or sphillips55@sbcglobal.net to make arrangements to participate.
Vendors who want to participate need to contact Sharon Phillips at the above number. A full season vendor pass can be had for $200 and will be good for the 12 Saturdays of the season from May 7 through Oct. 8. The per market vendor pass is $30 per session.
Sheridan has experienced many markets over the years, some more successful than others. Successful or not, it is good that people like Sharon Phillips and Amber Kiger keep trying to provide a venue for folks to come on a Saturday morning and avail themselves of a wide variety of locally grown, locally prepared, and locally handcrafted items. We hope the community will come forward to participate and support this effort so that it can sustain itself year after year. It is good for our community, and good for you, too.
Steve Martin serves as the First Vice President of the Sheridan Historical Society, located at 315 S. Main St., Sheridan.