ALEX GARY alex.gary@apg-sw.com Apr 30, 2026
BELOIT In the United States, the first Saturday in May is traditionally known for the running of the Kentucky Derby.
In Beloit, the first Saturday in May is known for something else. It is the annual opening of the Downtown Beloit Outdoor Farmers Market and essentially a reunion for the community of vendors from all over Illinois and Wisconsin who spend their spring, summer and fall Saturdays in Beloit. “That is one of the things I really look forward to, seeing the familiar faces,” said Mike Wendt of Milton, who sells Spark Spices with his wife. “There’s a lot of camaraderie.
We look out for each other.”Last year, the Beloit Daily News looked at PLACER.ai data, which tracks cell phones, to look at how big of an area shoppers come from to visit the outdoor farmers market. It showed that 29% of visitors in 2024 came from the city or town of Beloit and another 19% came from Rockton, Roscoe, Rockton and South Beloit. About 15% of shoppers came from Janesville in Wisconsin and Loves Park, Machesney Park and Rockford in Illinois.
Read the full article from Beloit Daily News here.