ALBANY — Entering its fifth summer, the Washington Park Farmers Market has been told by the city that it cannot use the park on four of 14 planned Saturdays because of other events, although the events happened simultaneously in the past.
Losing a month’s worth of Saturdays during a three-month season will financially harm the market’s vendors, and customers likely will be confused by the intermittent schedule if the market is forced elsewhere on those days, said Scott Abraham, who founded the Washington Park Farmers Market in 2019. The prior year Abraham started the Guilderland Farmers Market, held at the town library on Sundays, and in August will be launching a two-month farmers market in Rensselaer’s Riverfront Park on Thursday evenings.
“It’s worked fine in the past, but now they’re saying no,” said Abraham.
David Galin, chief of staff for Mayor Kathy Sheehan, countered, saying that past years showed two large events in the park on the same day was logistically difficult and drew complaints from some participants and attendees about the events encroaching on one another. The farmers market sets up along a pedestrian walkway called Knox Street Mall that parallels Willett Street, and most events are held on the adjacent parade grounds.
Galin said the Sheehan administration is open to discussing other city-owned sites for the farmers market on the dates in question: July 1, when the Filipino Day parade and festival will be held; Aug. 26 for Latin Fest; Sept. 9 for Unite the City, a community-engagement event sponsored by the Albany Law Enforcement Resolution Team; and Sept. 23 for Walk for Trevor, which does not seem to have an online presence. The list is included in an email to Abraham from City Clerk Danielle Gillespie. The email says the farmers market permit for those days was denied “due to previously approved events.”
“We tried to make it work, but it wasn’t…
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