Jase Litehiser, at the Seaside Farmers Market.

On the North Coast, summertime can be a blur! The amazing weather is a highlight for all, but busy schedules, travel, visitors coming to us and the occasional traffic jam makes this season fly.

One of the activities that gives my summer some footing is the Seaside Farmers Market. Every Wednesday, the Sunset Empire Park & Recreation District hosts the market. I’m happy to share that this summer marks the 10th year we’ve offered this important program to our community and guests.

The market provides a great space for what I would call community growth. Not growth in terms of new homes or businesses, but growth because the market, and other similar events and spaces, promote opportunities for folks in a community to grow together through conversation, friendship, music, food and the centuries-old custom of transacting locally made goods.

The market also serves our community in numerous other ways, and you’ll find that the following categories correspond with many of the traditional dimensions of well-being: cultural, economic, emotional, environmental, intellectual, physical and social.

Cultural: We know the market serves our entire community, and we provide multilingual materials and interpreter assistance for vendors and patrons. We also actively recruit businesses, including food trucks, that can provide goods that expand our mind with culturally diverse food and goods.

Economic: The market supports small businesses and new entrepreneurs as they build their businesses. We have been thrilled to have a group of young entrepreneurs with us each week at the market, selling jewelry, flowers and other goods. Of our 60-70 booths each week, more than half are typically from within Clatsop County and the market provides a space for those businesses to grow.

Emotional: As stated earlier, having a safe space for our community to grow is so necessary in our society and the market is a relaxed, inclusive space for our intergenerational residents and guests. We have live music each week and an environment that provides some respite from the contention and polarization of much of what we see in community events.

Physical: Perhaps no greater benefit comes from the market than the physical result. The market provides truly the greatest access to locally grown and produced food. Honey, nuts, meats, fruits, vegetables, cheese and plenty of baked goods and sweets are just some of what is offered each week. We are particularly proud of our ability to offer even more funds for folks using their SNAP benefits , doubling their food bucks. We know that access to healthy food is a key determinant in all aspects of a healthy individual and what better way to get healthy food than the Seaside Farmers Market.

There are many other benefits of accessing the Seaside Farmers Market, and I’ll highlight just one more. This includes our community partnerships. We are so fortunate to have great community support for the market. We are thankful to Providence Seaside Hospital for serving as our yearlong title sponsor and for our other sponsors and partners including the North Coast Food Trail, Seaside Visitors Bureau, Clatsop County Public Health, Clatsop County Master Gardeners and so many others.

In our 10th year, we invite and encourage you to attend the Seaside Farmers Market, occurring every Wednesday (concluding Sept. 27) from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Sunset Recreation Center parking lot. The market has grown considerably from its inception to what it is now: a thriving hub for our community to grow and enjoy the summer months on the beautiful Oregon Coast. For more information, please visit www.seasidemarket.org.