Five years later, Corfu market has grown with vendors, music and fun

It was hard enough for established businesses to remain open through the pandemic after COVID hit in 2020, so Market Manager Katy Hobbs is especially happy to be celebrating the continued success of Corfu Farmers Market, which dared to get going during that tumultuous time.

"It’s our fifth year this year, we started it in the pandemic in 2020,” Hobbs said during Monday’s opening night at the Corfu United Presbyterian Church, 63 Alleghany Road, Corfu. “It was a big feat because we had all the restrictions and everything, and it’s grown ever since.”

New this year, with the financial support of a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, is the 2024 Corfu Farmers Market Music Series, which features musicians Tim Wright on July 15, Southpaw Sal Aug. 12 and Sara Elizabeth on Aug. 19.

“And so it's free for anybody to come and listen to and it's our way to bring the arts to our village,” Hobbs said.

This year's market features new treats, including freeze-dried candies, Sugar Greens Farm maple products, and micro greens. It also features child-friendly activities such as a scavenger hunt, rock painting and carnival games.

“We are still finalizing our community nights,” she said. “We have a lot of events that we normally kind of wrap up throughout the season.”

Corfu’s market is unlike any other since it’s on a Monday, which is what organizers were shooting for. They didn’t want to compete with others in the area, Hobbs said.

Monday's launch featured everything from honey, fresh yellow squash, zucchini and cucumbers to iced cut-out cookies, crunchy taco salad, microgreens and live musical entertainment from Buffalo artist Davey O.

“And it's really come to be a way for our community to come and gather, and everybody helps donate or support things in order to put it on,” Hobbs said. “And so we have our food trucks here. If it's a fair week, then our church does a hotdog and hamburger sale. So we always have a place for people to scoop up dinner as they do their daily shopping.

"We do trivia on the last Monday of every month, and so we welcome all different families," she said. "We do two rounds of it. And we give away local prizes to our local businesses.”

The first trivia night is July 29. The market will be open every Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. until Sept. 23.

For more information about the market, go to www.corfuny.gov.