Walker Tavern Farmers Market to Open for Season

The farmers market at Walker Tavern Historic Site in Cambridge Junction Historic State Park (in Brooklyn, Michigan) opens for the season Sunday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. The market will continue every week into the fall, but will be closed two Sundays for race weekends at Michigan International Speedway June 14 and Aug. 16. The Friends of Walker Tavern will combine several of their most popular events with market Sundays.

Opening weekend will feature tours of the recently renovated Hewitt House Visitors Center located within the park. Friends of Walker Tavern volunteers and Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff will be on hand to answer questions about the featured exhibit, “Summertime in Michigan’s Irish Hills.” The exhibit will open to the public Saturday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the same hours Sunday.

Other events that will coincide with the market in 2015 include:

• Sunday, May 31, from 2 to 4 p.m.: The Walker Wheels vintage “base ball” team opens its 2015 season against the Royal Oak Wahoos. This will be one of only two opportunities to see the Wheels play on their home field in 2015. Bring a lawn chair, grab some food at the farmers market and enjoy the game.
  
• Sunday, June 7, and Sunday, Sept. 13, from 2 to 3 p.m.: The farmers market will host Raptor Day, “a rare opportunity to see some of these great hawks up close,” said site historian Laurie Perkins.
  
• Sunday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Walker on Wheels Car Show returns during the farmers market. Vintage cars and trucks will be on display for both market regulars and the public. Anyone wishing to show a pre-1965 vintage car should call Laurie Perkins at 517-241-0731. Vintage-car registration is $5 before June 20 and $10 on the day of the show.
  
• Sunday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The farmers market will feature lost-arts demonstrations, including many by local crafts persons who will share their unique talents in forgotten domestic arts.

“This year’s farmers market promises to be the biggest since the market opened in 2008,” said Market Master David Brainerd. “We anticipate the return of over 50 vendors and growers, and are looking forward to adding more participants this season. Our growers and vendors are fantastic folks to work with and produce some of the highest-quality product in southeast Michigan.”

Walker Tavern Historic Site, part of the Michigan Historical Museum System and the MotorCities National Heritage Area, is located 35 miles west of Ann Arbor, in Cambridge Junction Historic State Park. A Recreation Passport is required for park entry. Read more Walker Tavern Historic Site visitor information. For more information about Walker Tavern Historic Site, go to www.michigan.gov/walkertavern.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.