A new farmers market will open Tuesday at the downtown Scranton pocket park at Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue, giving downtown residents and workers an opportunity to buy fresh local produce and more.
The Electric City Farmers Market at Christopher A. Doherty Park — a project of the nonprofit Scranton Tomorrow supported by the Architectural Heritage Association — will then continue on subsequent Tuesdays through at least Sept. 8 and possibly thereafter, Scranton Tomorrow Business Development Director Liz Baldi said.
Featuring locally grown produce from Hopkins Farm of Falls, baked goods from Cypress House at St. Luke’s Church and plants and herbs sold by vendor Joe Pierro, the market runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will also feature live entertainment from noon to 2 p.m., with singer and songwriter Tara Michel performing on opening day.
“This has been a project that we’ve talked about for a while, and we wanted to fill the void,” Baldi said. “Downtown residents, downtown workers, in order to buy fresh produce they have to leave downtown. We don’t have a grocery store. They don’t have this kind of opportunity to shop any fresh produce, especially from local farmers, without leaving the downtown, so we’re filling a void (and) we’re meeting a need.”
Scranton Tomorrow officials also want to give downtown restaurants an opportunity to buy fresh ingredients within walking distance of their kitchens.
“So our first step when we were planning the farmers market, I called all the restaurant owners and asked them to meet us at the park, bring their executive chefs, bring their bar managers and let’s talk about what they would want to see out of a farmers market and how we could make it most useful for them,” Baldi continued, noting restaurants can place orders in advance for ingredients they can incorporate into their menus. “They’re going to be able to offer farm-to-table menu items that are seasonal and really kind of on trend at the moment, and give the opportunity to support local people by buying from local farmers and supporting local agriculture.”
The pocket park that will host the market on the corner of Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue is the grant-supported product of a yearslong effort by Scranton Tomorrow, the city and Lackawanna County to convert the dilapidated former site of a dry-cleaning business into a vibrant green space. Its construction followed extensive efforts to remediate the site.
Officials held a ribbon cutting at the new park in the spring of 2024 during a ceremony that also honored former Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, for whom the park is named.
“This is exactly the use that the park was intended for,” Baldi said, describing it as a green space, gathering space and community space. “We’re so excited to see it come full circle and have this be a weekly staple in people’s schedules for the rest of the summer and into the fall.”