OGDEN — One of downtown’s signature recurring events and a summertime tradition on Historic 25th Street has once again received top honors for the state of Utah.

American Farmland Trust announced the winners of the 16th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration earlier this month. And, for the third consecutive year, Farmers Market Ogden was recognized as the Beehive State’s best farmers market.

More than 1,500 markets nationwide participated in the 2024 celebration, with over 97,000 votes being cast by the public overall, per American Farmland Trust.

“It’s a great honor for Ogden to be named the top farmers market in the state for the third year in a row,” Jessica Anderson — marketing & communications manager for the Ogden Downtown Alliance — told the Standard-Examiner.

“It’s a testament to the hard work our local farmers and producers, artisans, community partners and sponsors have all put in to make this happen for the third time,” said Farmers Market Ogden manager Meg Beasterfield. “Farmers markets don’t just happen, it’s a strong community built over the span of years.”

The announcement from American Farmland Trust coincided with National Farmers Market Week, which ran Aug. 4-10. To mark the occasion, the market launched a series of limited edition T-shirts designed by Bacee/SaltKat Apparel.

Anderson estimates the Farmers Market Ogden has averaged 15,000 visitors per weekend throughout its 2024 summer season during market hours (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Beasterfield added that “a large portion” of those visitors are first-timers or people from out of state.

Meanwhile, the variety of vendors participating continues to give the market its something-for-everyone appeal.

“Each week, we see about 200 unique vendors at the market on a Saturday,” Beasterfield said.

That number doubles when looking at the full 17-week summer market season.

The market also helps provide for people with food needs by offering SNAP and EBT transactions and supporting a number of government-funded food access programs. Those programs include Double Up Food Bucks and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

“I think especially our vendors realize the role that they play in the community and how vital their presence is for the success of food access programs and food stamps recipients,” Anderson said of the market’s rain-or-shine operation. “Those programs are pretty important for our underserved communities. We have so many customers that need access to healthier, more affordable groceries.”

With just a handful of weeks left to go in the summer season, there’s still a lot to look forward to at the market, according to organizers, including cooler temperatures for market-goers and more fall seasonal produce.

Farmers Market Ogden’s summer season will wrap up Sept. 14; the fall market opens Sept. 28.