Halfway Through Chapter One

This summer marks my first season as Farmers’ Market Manager—and my first few months as Bethel Park’s Events Coordinator. It’s been a whirlwind in the best way. Between market Tuesdays and concerts, movie nights, and planning events big and small, I’ve had the chance to meet neighbors across Bethel Park in all kinds of settings. Some of you I’ve met while sweating under tents in the middle of a July downpour; others I’ve run into during a quiet moment at the Community Center or one of our parks. However we’ve crossed paths, it’s been a joy.

I had so many ideas going into the season—traditions to start, activities to share, stories to tell. Some have taken off, and others had to be tucked aside while juggling the moving pieces of this role. I haven’t written as much as I’d hoped this summer. But I haven’t stopped noticing.

Noticing the regulars who come every week, without fail. The toddlers growing more confident crossing the lot from one booth to the next. The couples picking up their produce side by side. The families gathering around the activity tables. The people who are new to town, and the ones who’ve been here long enough to remember when the market first began—almost 20 years ago.

That sense of continuity, of community, is what stands out most to me. Each Tuesday, in the middle of what’s often a long or unpredictable day, the market becomes its own kind of pause—a space where neighbors reconnect, where strangers share recommendations, where the bustle feels like belonging. Sometimes it’s hectic. Sometimes it’s hot. Sometimes the weather does its best to test us. But it’s always worth it.

This week is National Farmers Market Week, a time to celebrate not just the growers and vendors who make markets possible, but the communities that support and sustain them. Here in Bethel Park, that support shows up in quiet ways and big ones—shopping local, spreading the word, bringing your kids and your kindness. That loyalty, rain or shine, is what keeps a market going strong for nearly two decades.

Looking ahead, 2026 will mark 20 years of the Bethel Park Farmers’ Market—a milestone we’re already beginning to dream about. And while we’re not quite there yet, this season feels like a turning point—a reminder of just how much can grow from consistency, care, and community.

As part of that growth, we’re doing our best to meet people where they are. That might look like offering FAM dollars to expand food access, or welcoming guests from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services to share mental health resources and support. Community doesn’t stop once you leave the market lot—and neither does care.

Thank you for making the market more than just a place to shop. Thank you for showing up, for saying hi, for sharing your lives and your loyalty. I can’t wait to see what we build next, together.