Eagan Market Fest Ends Season With New Accomplishments

Eagan Market Fest ends its weekly farmer's market season today at dusk, and takes with its seasonal goodbye more accomplishments.

Now in its fifth season, the Market Fest can boast its vote as in Minnesota. It's also among the top 20 in the country, as shown in recent results of a contest promoting farmer's markets.

"It's very exciting to see how the community's embraced the event," said Kerry Phillips, recreation supervisor and Market Fest coordinator for the city. "Residents, they talk about it all year long."

The project began five years ago with 10 vendors. Today it has about 60. "Vendors became supportive," Phillips said, explaining that people set up tents, formed new friendships and connected more as a community.

Connecting community is really what Eagan Market Fest is about, she said. That's how it started; the city wanted to connect the community in a larger way, and wondered how they could do it. Research showed that people go to farmer's markets because of the experience, Phillips said. "That experience can be... feeling part of something larger," she said.

Phillips said she loves to see new people come through the gate near the community center, where the market is hosted. Common sights include grandparents playing at the playground with their grandchildren, and neighbors coming together to listen to music at the bandshell.

More evidence proves their efforts are working. In its first year, an average of about 300 people attended the market each week. Last year about 24,000 people attended Market Fest, or an average of 2,100 per week, Phillips said. She estimated 34,000 will have attended Market Fest this season by the time it ends this evening.

Tom Ruhland, owner of Eagan-based Ruhland's Strudel Haus, said Phillips has done an "absolutely fabulous" job with the festival, and has "taken this to heart." What was a small market is now a destination event, complete with music and activities, he said.

"Come prepared next year for another fine, great year at Market Fest," he said.