Sammamish Farmers Market celebrates 2018 season opening

The market is open every Wednesday through Sept. 26.

By Evan Pappas • May 17, 2018 1:35 pm

Back for its 11th year of operation, the Sammamish Farmers Market kicked off the 2018 season with more than 2,000 people attending opening day on May 9.

Vendors from Sammamish and the surrounding areas gathered outside City Hall to sell their food and products to the local visitors. Dozens of businesses — from food trucks, to local farmers, to woodworkers — showed off their newest products for the new year. The market runs every Wednesday, rain or shine, through Sept. 26.

Deb Sogge, Market Manager, is excited to begin the 11th year of the Sammamish Farmer’s Market. Evan Pappas/Staff Photo

Deb Sogge, market manager and Sammamish Chamber of Commerce CEO, said the market has grown in size and attendance over the past decade. In 2008 the market drew 500 people each week, but now Sogge said they average around 2,500 attendees.

According to Sogge, the Sammamish Farmers Market has had some trouble getting farmers to bring their food directly to the market, but so far they have not had re-sellers come to the event as vendors.

“We’ve got a very friendly market. We’ve been voted one of the cleanest markets in King County and we just try to bring what people want,” Sogge said. “The hardest thing to get are farmers that have direct farm food — no re-sellers — and we’ve prided ourselves on only having the real farmer here with his food. It makes it hard because other markets, Saturday markets, have re-sellers and we don’t know where the food is coming from.”

Georgia’s Bakery from North Bend, a regular at the Sammamish Farmer’s Market, returns for 2018. Evan Pappas/Staff Photo

The market is located right outside of Sammamish City Hall, next to the library and YMCA. Sogge said the market has been around before many of the surrounding buildings were built and the buildup of community gathering spaces have positively influenced the success of the market. That community aspect of the market is Sogge’s favorite part. The sense of community and collaboration is a key element to the success of the market.

“I always say the farmers market is my happy place and it really is,” she said. “Because when I see neighbors talking to neighbors and enjoying the ambience of the farmers market, it makes me happy.”