Perry County farmers market opens 2026 season at Triangle Park

Perry County families had a local place to buy fresh produce, baked goods and handmade items as the Perry County Farmers Market opened its 2026 season at Triangle Park in downtown Hazard. The market’s payment options 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 opening put another weekly food source back into circulation for households trying to keep more spending close to home. It also gave local farmers and small vendors a direct sales outlet in Hazard, where customers could buy from growers and makers without leaving the county.

The market’s own site described it as a seasonal market next to Triangle Park and listed summer hours for Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in June through August. Hazard Perry Tourism’s calendar extended the season through October, with Thursday hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, or until sold out.

The assistance programs tied to the market matter as much as the produce. Kentucky agriculture officials say the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is designed to improve nutrition access for low-income seniors and help farmers sell Kentucky-grown fruits and vegetables. Kentucky Department for Public Health materials say WIC farmers market benefits are issued each summer, and 102 farmers markets in 84 Kentucky counties accept them.

Perry County Farmers Market said it has served area producers and consumers for about a decade and described itself as one of the longest-running farmers markets in the region. A 2018 Community Farm Alliance account said the Perry County market had been active in some form or another for around twenty years, suggesting the market has long been part of Hazard’s summer food economy.

Behind the season’s launch, the market also held a vendor meeting on March 9, 2026, at 420 Main Street in Hazard to review rules, membership and voucher programs. That kind of planning keeps the market connected not only to shoppers, but to the state and local systems that make fresh food more reachable across Eastern Kentucky.