Today, Saturday, Sept. 24, is Old Worthington Market Day, continuing a tradition that dates to 150 years ago when farmers and merchants brought their goods to vend in the center of Worthington.
Click here to preview the list of vendors, sponsors and activities. Please join the fun! It's the most festive day of the year in downtown Worthington, and offers something for nearly every taste and interest, as visitors and residents alike are drawn to downtown streets for a colorful array of arts and crafts, food and farmers market vendors, community group fundraisers, and family entertainment. More than 20,000 visitors and 250 vendors are expected from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine. Visitors will find many of their favorite artists, crafts vendors, nonprofit groups, and some new activities stretched along High Street (SR 23), from SR 161 south to South Street, and on the Village Green. (See the City's website, www.worthington.org, for reminders on street closings and traffic patterns, issued by the Worthington Police Department.) Market Day vendor booths feature artisan-crafted goods ranging from jewelry, garden art, pottery and ceramics to paintings, decorative clothing and unique wooden crafts. Many decorative recycled and "repurposed" items are among the creative crafts this year. Numerous farm product vendors who are veterans of the Saturday morning Farmers Market in Worthington have set up their displays on the southwest Village Green and selected other spots along High Street. Food offerings include tacos, hot dogs, kettle corn, shaved ice and many similar festival treats to mobile menus from local restaurants. Other attractions at today's event range from book browsing to beer tasting, antique hunting and children's activities.  | | Old Worthington Quarter Beer Festival - photo by Ryan Hughes |
Market Day visitors who want to take a break from shopping for a brew, some seasonal food and a chance to check their favorite sports scores have a chance to do so while supporting a local charity. At the center of the Market Day activities at West New England Avenue and High Street, House Wine, Rivage Atlantique and the Old Worthington Quarter are staging their third annual Old Worthington Quarter Beer Festival, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Oktoberfest-themed activity benefits the Worthington Food Pantry & Resource Center. The fundraiser features a range of fall beers from American craft breweries, plus some year-round favorites, teamed with Oktoberfest-style foods from Rivage. A food pantry donation of $5 is entry fee for the first serving, with additional tickets available for beer sampling for $2 each or 3 for $5. Just north of the Village Green at Old Worthington Library, the annual Market Day book sale from the Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries is under way from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Bestsellers, cookbooks, travel books, classics and more will be available for $1 each. On the Village Green, other attractions at Market Day include the Worthington Historical Society's flea market, a children's activity area and performing groups, including high school bands on the northwest Village Green at 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Tim O'Connor, local performance artist, will entertain crowds near High and South Streets from 10 a.m. to noon. Giveaways, product demonstrations and information are available at many of the community and school group booths and the sponsor exhibits. Market Day 2011 is sponsored by Mount Carmel St. Ann's, along with AAA Ohio Auto Club, AT&T Ohio, Bath Fitter, DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management, Park National Bank, Primrose School of Worthington, ThisWeek Community Newspapers and WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone. Event parking is available at Thomas Worthington High School, 300 W. Dublin-Granville Road, west of Evening Street. A free shuttle service - provided by the City of Worthington/Griswold Center, Friendship Village of Columbus, The Laurels of Norworth and Worthington, Trillium Place and Willow Brook Christian Home - will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shuttles will travel from the high school to parking lot of The Worthington Inn and back, and from the high school to the Griswold Center and back. Limited parking is also available at the United Methodist Church via Hartford Street, and at the Worthington Municipal Parking Lot west of High Street behind The Worthington Inn. The municipal parking lot on E. New England Avenue is reserved for handicapped parking only during the event. The Chamber is grateful to the City of Worthington and its partners in the parks and recreation, police and fire departments for their support in conducting Market Day. |
