On June 24 the Downtown Auburn Saturday Market will open for its fifth summer season at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center located in the heart of History’s Hometown.
The market is a rain or shine event set to operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, beginning June 24 through closing day on August 26. There will be no event on Saturday, July 1, in observation of Independence Day Weekend. Several of the nine event dates will be themed starting with Auburn NY Pride on June 24, City of Auburn Founder’s Day on August 12, and Women’s Equality Day on August 26.
Held in partnership with the City of Auburn, Auburn Downtown BID, National Park Service, Taste NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail, the market aims to connect visitors and the community with regionally sourced products. Featuring food producers and artisans, consumers will have access to locally produced baked goods; syrups and honey; fine art; apparel; crafts and other specialty items.
The overall collective goal is to support existing businesses, while creating opportunity for small businesses to thrive, educate the public about the impact of buying local, and provide a community-building experience in an accessible location. Several Saturday Market vendors have built customer bases that led to opening storefronts, including Moonflower Macarons, Divine Coverings, LLC., Lake Life Laser Studio, Mandy Girl Boutique, among others. Return vendors for this year’s season include, Oma Nonna Heirloom Cookies, Taste NY Market, Chef Dorothy, DJP Woodcrafts, Silver Tree Forest Farm, Blissful Crystals, Jsy’Neem & Things, Barbara Jeans Body & Hair Butter, DS Woodcrafting, and many more.
In addition to weekly live music and entertainment, the Saturday Market will feature free activities and programming in partnership with the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, including National Park Service ranger led “A Life in Auburn” talks and “In the Footsteps of Harriet Tubman” walking tours.
New vendors are welcome to participate in the Downtown Auburn Saturday Market. There is no fee to be a vendor, and vendors are not required to participate every market date. Contact the Equal Rights Heritage Center at (315) 258-9820 or visit visitauburnny.com to obtain an application.
Downtown Auburn Saturday Market — 2023 Event Schedule
June 24
Special Event: Auburn NY Pride Rally (12 p.m.)
Live Music: DJ ShayKey
Featured Vendor: Artistic Impressions
July 1
No Saturday Market
Independence Day Weekend
July 8
Children’s Entertainment: Jeff the Magic Man
Live Music: David Kuykendall & Michael Houston
July 15
Children’s Entertainment: Jeff the Magic Man
Live Music: Honky Tonk Hindooz
July 22
Children’s Entertainment: Jeff the Magic Man
Family Entertainment: The REV Theatre Aesop’s Fables: On Stage! (11 a.m.)
Live Music: Irv Lyons, Jr.
July 29
Live Music: One Love Neo Soul Group
August 5
Live Music: Jess Novak
August 12
Special Event: City of Auburn Founder’s Day
Children’s Entertainment: Jeff the Magic Man
Featured Activity: Historic Trolley Rides
Live Music: Total Recall
August 19
Live Music: The Rounds
August 26
Special Event: Women’s Equality Day
Live Music: Colleen Kattau
Featured Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Programming
“A Life in Auburn”
Park rangers will be conducting “A Life in Auburn” talks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 9:30 a.m. through September 2. Join a National Park Service ranger to discover sites in Auburn that tell the story of Harriet Tubman. Learn about Tubman’s early life in Maryland, the forces which brought her to choose Auburn, New York, as her home, and how her work and service influenced the Auburn community. These talks are free, run 30 minutes, and no reservation needed. Meet your National Park Service ranger in the courtyard of the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center by the Tubman statue; this facility is wheelchair accessible.
“In the Footsteps of Harriet Tubman”
Join National Park Service rangers on a one-mile walking tour (approx. 1 hr.) of downtown Auburn and experience Harriet Tubman’s hometown the way she would have walked it. Discover the connections that brought Harriet Tubman to Auburn as you view the Seward House and Park, Fort Hill Cemetery, the site of Martha Coffin Wright’s house, the Cayuga County Court House, and more. Learn the complex history of how Harriet Tubman and the City of Auburn supported each other during her more than 50 years of life in freedom here. Some grades are above six percent which may be hard for some motorized mobility aids or individuals with limited mobility. Rangers will be ready to go rain or shine, so make sure to come prepared which may include extra food and water, good walking shoes, a raincoat or extra layers, sunscreen, etc. Inclement weather or dangerous conditions may cause program to be cancelled or reformatted. These free guided walking tours are offered Thursday, Friday, Saturday through September 2, and tours begin at 10:30 a.m.; no advance reservation needed.
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