Perry County Farmer’s Market hosts family-friendly April pop-up in downtown Hazard

Families had a compact Saturday option in downtown Hazard as the Perry County Farmers Market set up its April pop-up at the Market Pavilion across from Triangle Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The one-day market combined homegrown seasonal produce, handmade crafts and a walkable stop in the city center, with payment options that included SNAP/EBT, credit and debit cards, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Benefits, cash and Carrot Cash for children 17 and younger.

The pop-up was built as more than a produce stand. Free kids’ activities were provided by FoodCorps, and UK Dietetic Interns offered hands-on experiences, giving parents a low-cost downtown outing that mixed shopping with food education. That made the event especially practical for families looking to stretch a Saturday trip beyond a quick market run.

The Perry County Farmers Market has long been one of the region’s most established direct producer-to-consumer spaces, and county and market pages say it connects area consumers and producers through local food and crafts. The market says it has served that role for about a decade, and its own materials describe it as a seasonal market in downtown Hazard next to Triangle Park. The spring pop-up fit that mission by putting local sellers in front of shoppers at the exact moment downtown sees weekend activity.

The location also mattered for Hazard’s business district. The City of Hazard and Perry County work closely together, and downtown regularly serves as a gathering place for major community events such as the Black Gold Festival. The market’s pavilion downtown was built after the City of Hazard received a $100,000 USDA grant for the project, a shift that moved the market away from Perry County Park and closer to the city’s pedestrian core. For businesses near Triangle Park and Main Street, the pop-up added a short burst of foot traffic in the same civic center where residents already gather for shopping, errands and public events.

The market has also framed itself as a place “to share, to grow, and to celebrate,” a message that matched the mix of local commerce, children’s programming and nutrition outreach on display Saturday. In a state with more than 170 farmers markets across more than 115 counties and over 2,600 vendors, Perry County’s market continued to stand out as a downtown fixture with a local reach and a clear role in keeping Hazard’s center active.