The third season of the Hyde Park Village Fresh Market begins this Sunday, October 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a new pedestrian-friendly street closure. 

Fresh Markets take place the first Sunday of every month, rain or shine, year-round at the South Tampa retail center with a focus on local food, hand crafts and live music. Admission and parking are free and pets are welcome. 

“Shoppers have been asking for more vendors for a while now and there’s also been a waiting list for vendors, but we were maxed out on space.  Closing the street was really the next step,” says Jocelyn Brenner, Marketing Director for Hyde Park Village.  “Shoppers can stroll freely through the streets without worrying about traffic and our merchant storefronts will now be more visible to shoppers.”

The 2012-2013 Fresh Market season welcomes a diverse group of local produce and farm vendors, including Park Hydro Farms, featuring high-quality local hydroponic produce; Chicken coops from Holloway’s Feed Store; Bob & Daughter, the market’s largest produce vendor, providing a mixture of local and imported produce; Tampa Bay Organics Fitness and Health providing local, organic and soy-free eggs from their Seffner farm; Natural Goodness Farm providing organic sprouts and coconuts; R&S Herbs featuring a large variety of fresh herbs and plants grown in Lakeland; Whitwam Organics offering organic fertilizer and growing towers; and, Truck Farm Tampa and Fit Kids Playground providing locally farmed produce from the truck, gardening tips, tools and education.

Tampa Bay Markets exclusively handles all programming and vendor booking.  Vendors can apply online at TampaBayMarkets.com.  9.