Fairview Fall Farmers Market Brings Four Fridays of Local Food, Makers and Music to Groton

Fairview Fall Farmers Market Brings Four Fridays of Local Food, Makers and Music to Groton beginning Oct. 2, turning the Town Green into an afternoon market filled with Connecticut produce, baked goods, coffee, handmade wares, food and live acoustic music.

The market runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on four Fridays — Oct. 2, Oct. 16, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 — and is free and open to the community. Fairview’s current schedule confirms all four dates.

This isn’t simply a farm stand set up for the afternoon. Organizers have assembled a mix of farms, bakers, food vendors and craftspeople, then added a different musician in the gazebo for each market.

And the opening market already has a fairly substantial vendor roster.

From Pumpkins and Sourdough to Coffee and Local Honey

The fall timing means shoppers can expect some of the things that disappear quickly once Connecticut’s growing season winds down.

Fairview is advertising fresh fruits and vegetables, pumpkins and gourds, baked goods and sourdough, coffee and prepared food, honey, jams, candles, handmade products, hard cider and wine.

Among the vendors currently announced are Long Meadow Farm, Cedar & Stone Farm, Stahley’s Tree Farm & Garden, Whittle’s Farm, Radiance Gardens, Baked by Rose, Cedar Sweets, Wisketopia, Woodfellas, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, Issa Catering, Crystal Hunter Liz and A Cupcake for Later.

That mix pushes this closer to a compact fall festival than a produce-only farmers market: grab a coffee or something to eat, browse the makers, pick up fall produce and stay for the music.

Four Market Days, Four Musicians

Fairview is also changing the soundtrack each time.

The Oct. 2 opening market features Paul Scrungio in the gazebo. Kipp Sturgeon follows Oct. 16, Clayton Allen plays Oct. 30, and Sal Basile closes the series Nov. 6. HappeningNext

It’s a small detail that makes the four dates more than repetitions of the same market.

Come back two weeks later and both the seasonal produce and the music have changed.

A Preview of What’s Coming to Fairview

There’s another reason this particular farmers market caught our attention.

The poster invites visitors to stop at the booth for The Salty Radish, described as the future healthy Vista Point restaurant, with free farmers market bags available for Vista Point depositors.

That’s part of a much larger project taking shape at Fairview.

Vista Point at Fairview is being developed as a nonprofit Life Plan Community overlooking the Thames River. Plans call for six different dining concepts rather than a single traditional dining room, along with amenities including a 216-seat performing arts center, a 75-foot indoor saltwater pool, fitness facilities and waterfront gathering spaces. Vista Point at Fairview |

The Salty Radish is planned as the health-focused member of that restaurant collection, alongside an Italian pizzeria, bakery and cafe, traditional restaurant, bar and lounge and another chef-driven dining concept. Vista Point at Fairview |

So while the farmers market stands perfectly well on its own as a Friday afternoon destination, it also gives the wider Groton community an opportunity to see what’s happening on the Fairview campus.

An Afternoon Market Rather Than a Weekend Commitment

The timing may be one of its advantages.

Instead of competing with the increasingly packed Saturday and Sunday fall-festival calendar, Fairview has put the market on Friday afternoons.

It’s only two and a half hours.

There’s no admission charge.

And visitors can treat it however they want — make a quick produce run, grab coffee and baked goods, browse the local makers or settle near the gazebo and listen to the music.

The first one arrives Oct. 2.

Then the market returns every other Friday through the end of October before one final afternoon Nov. 6.

More information is available at the Event Website link below.

Details

Event: Fairview Fall Farmers Market
Dates: Friday, Oct. 2; Friday, Oct. 16; Friday, Oct. 30; and Friday, Nov. 6, 2026
Time: 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: Fairview Town Green
Address:  235 Lestertown Road, Groton, CT 06340
Admission: Free and open to the community
Oct. 2 Live Music: Paul Scrungio
Oct. 16 Live Music: Kipp Sturgeon
Oct. 30 Live Music: Clayton Allen
Nov. 6 Live Music: Sal Basile
Market: Local produce, pumpkins and gourds, baked goods, sourdough, coffee, prepared food, honey, jams, handmade goods, candles, hard cider, wine and additional seasonal products
Entertainment: Live acoustic music in the gazebo

Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.