Nourish Knoxville’s Market Square Farmers’ Market Turned 20, and Downtown Knoxville is celebrating the memories made and businesses grown at the market in the coming months. “The Market Square Farmers’ Market has been a cherished mainstay in our city center since 2004,” said Michele Hummel, executive director of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance. “Fresh produce and homemade goods might be the reason people come to the market, but it’s the rich community surrounding it that causes them to stay. We invite residents and visitors to celebrate with us, savor the full experience of Market Square and share their favorite farmers’ market moments with us throughout this milestone season.” The farmers’ market is not only an opportunity for local farmers to sell goods; many businesses have sprouted into storefronts thanks to the market. Visitors to downtown can find some of the “Market Square Farmers’ Market Originals,” including artists, ice cream connoisseurs and others across the city, in a fun scavenger hunt. Downtown Knoxville Alliance is inviting people to send “Farmers’ Market Fan Mail” to thank vendors, share a favorite market memory or describe how the market has made a difference in their lives. Drop off letters, poems, drawings and other tokens of appreciation at the official mailbox in Market Square, designed and painted by illustrator Paris Woodhull. Admirers also can submit fan mail online. Themed templates and coloring sheets by Woodhull are available for download on the event webpage. Shoppers and sightseers are encouraged to share photos of their farmers’ market friends and finds on social media using #20yrsKnoxFarmersMarket. One photo op, a hand-painted mural by local artist Ashton Ludden, will be in the middle of it all at 17 Market Square, located outside the Knoxville Chamber.

There are also plans for artist Megan Lingerfelt to update her seasonal mural in Strong Alley as part of Dogwood Arts’ Art in Public Places Mural Program. The summer mural will include a market-inspired motif to help celebrate two delicious decades of the Market Square Farmers’ Market.