STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Wood River Valley Farmers Market is leaning into its Silver Anniversary as it prepares to start up for the summer.

The Farmers Market will bring back traditions from the past 25 years throughout the season with special event days, raffles and giveaway days.

It will kick things off with a free cookie day at both the Ketchum and Hailey Farmers Markets.

The Ketchum Market will kick off from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at Ketchum’s Forest Service Park, First and Washington streets. It will open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Roberta McKercher Park in Hailey.

Both markets will run through early October.

The markets will offer farm fresh vegetables, fresh baked goods, locally grown meat and trout and handcrafted artisan products. Live music will provide the ambiance.

The first farmers market in the valley was organized in 2000 by farmers who had been selling independently of one another in the valley. Atkinsons’ Market in Ketchum helped them draw up a plan, determining that Tuesday was a good day as it was a slow time of the week and it allowed participating farmers to sell goods on Saturdays in other markets in Southern Idaho.

The first market consisted of 13 vendors from Buhl, King Hill, Fairfield, Shoshone and the Wood River Valley. The Hailey Farmers Market started in 2003. And a couple years ago the Hailey Farmers Market expanded to fall with an indoor market at the  Upper Big Wood River Grange Hall in Hailey.