There’s still time to enjoy new Whidbey Farm and Market
— Created October 14, 2020 by Kathy Reed
By Alec Brown
A new seasonal farm stand has opened right across from the Blue Fox Drive-in Theater on Monroe Landing Road. Whidbey Farm and Market is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31.
Taking a right off Highway 20 and a left at the large white truck will take you to an open field lined with flowers, a quaint blue tractor, and all the seasonal attractions of autumn—a corn maze with a welcoming sign over its entrance, a colossal stack of hay bales, and rows upon rows of pumpkins.
The Whidbey Farm and Market is open to walk around and play in and has several attractions for families to enjoy. Right behind the main building is a wide-open area with lawn games, picnic tables, and a lush garden.
In addition to the attractions, there are a number of goodies inside the main building. T-shirts, vegetables, fruits, and cheeses are all on offer in the main building—a long, narrow structure that’s open to the air on both sides. Right in the middle of that building is a counter where Shannon Hamilton and her co-owner, Wendi Hilborn, greet customers and operate the stall.
The products they’re selling—and the whole stand itself—are all meant to support local farms. The farms they’ve collaborated with this year include Love Well, Well Fed, Golden Glen Creamery, and more.
Hamilton says the farm stand is meant to be a place where people can be together and recreate during quarantine. There is enough open space for multiple people to gather and for families to have fun, as well as plenty of activities to fill the time.
The farm stand will close at the end of this month. However, it will be opening up again next year with a host of improvements. They plan on not only having a number of new farms to support and from which to offer products, but a much longer season, too. The stand will be opening in the fall of 2021, staying open all the way until Christmas.
Yes, that means a Christmas farm stand—trees and all.
And after the Christmas season, they plan on opening once again for the spring.
While they are officially designated as a farm stand right now, they will seek designation as a market stall under local laws for the sake of next year’s upgrades.
“It’s a great place to meet with friends, and a great place to meet with family,” Hamilton said. She hopes this open space filled with fun activities will make this autumn just a little more enjoyable for everyone who is otherwise stuck inside.