Karen Sue Conaway wants to showcase all things local – produce, art, entertainment, knife sharpening, you name it. So she’s starting the Franklin Street Bazaar, to be held every Saturday, June 21 through Sept. 20. It will bring 40 vendors and their local products, services, and talents to Franklin Street.
Conaway’s passion for local produce comes from growing up on a large crop and hog farm in Haubstadt, Indiana. After becoming a market master — which required enrollment in workshops through Purdue University’s agriculture program — and getting the approvals from the City of Evansville and Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Conaway started to plan the Franklin Street Bazaar.
Each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the lawn of the EVPL West Branch people can enjoy shopping, food, and entertainment.
Every Chord Counts (Evansville’s largest ensemble of guitar players) will offer free guitar lessons while Bud’s Farm Market sells organic vegetables. Other vendors you can expect to see are Bee Sharp (knife sharpening), The Granola Jar (bakery sweets), Simply Bare (homemade balms), Genesis Health and Wellness (chair massages), Ann Vera Lynn (soaps), and many more.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the culture and heritage of Franklin Street,” says Conaway. “For these 14 weeks, I’m able to help 40 vendors build business on Franklin Street.”
The Franklin Street Bazaar begins every week with a blessing from different spiritual leaders of the community, and a bell ringing to officially start the event.
For more information about the Franklin Street Bazaar, call 812-480-0323 or visit the Franklin Street Events Association’s Facebook page.
