Altoona Farmer's Market Opens

ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY --- It just opened, and already the Altoona Farmer's Market vendors saw their fair share of customers.  Shoppers chose from homegrown fruits and vegetables, even homemade baked goods and sandwiches.  This year's market also offers organic produce, and folks from around here can't wait to browse all of this season's bounty.

"Every Thursday I always look forward to coming down here and sampling the different foods they have," Sam Scheinberg of Altoona said.

Vendors expect even more people to buy their homegrown goods this season.  Some people in the area feel safer buying locally grown produce, especially since the latest salmonella scare of tainted tomatoes hit nationally.  Judy Brumbaugh grows and sells her harvest at the market. She said buying homegrown produce is the way to go.

"You know what you're getting, and if you have any questions you can ask us or ask the person that's there,” Brumbaugh said.  “They know where it came from, what it has, and what has been done to it."

Besides offering fresh produce, the Farmer's Market also helps out the Altoona community.

"Every Thursday it seems to bring a lot of extra foot traffic downtown here," Scheinberg said.

"You're helping local people help other local people," Brumbaugh said.

You can check out the Altoona Farmer's Market every Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. downtown in Heritage Plaza.  The market will start opening on Saturdays in July once vendors have more produce to offer.

Here are some other Farmer’s Markets in our area:

Bedford Farmer’s Market:  Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Public Square)

                                       Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Fort Bedford Park)

Johnstown Farmer’s Market:  Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Central Park)

State College Farmer’s Market:  Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Locust Lane)