Business & Tech
Lake Saint Louis Farmers Market Opens; Wants to Feature Local Wineries, Microbreweries
The Lake Saint Louis Farmers Market, now in its second year at The Meadows, is set to open April 6 at 8 a.m. This year, the market is looking to bring in local wineries and microbreweries.
Spring is here, and the Lake Saint Louis Farmers and Artists Market at The Meadows will open for the season on Saturday.
This year, the market is hoping to bring in a new addition: local wineries and microbreweries.
Carl Saunders, a director on the board of the nonprofit that organizes the event, attended the Lake Saint Louis Board of Aldermen work session March 25 to request the board's assistance in allowing liquor sales at the market this year.
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"I was approached by a couple different wineries interested in coming to the market," Saunders told the board.
The market would only include wineries and microbreweries inside a 100-mile radius, keeping the local flavor of the market intact. Saunders estimated there were 10 to 12 wineries and microbreweries that would fit that requirement.
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He stressed the market was not seeking a license to sell liquor by the drink, but for tasting and buying products to take home.
Assistant City Administrator Eric Sterman said the city's current special event license was not practical and the city needed something that would be more cost-effective for vendors.
Last year the board created an umbrella license for the farmers market in order to streamline the process and encourage participation. Sterman said the city could not allow a similar umbrella license for liquor sales. Each vendor would be required to get a city license, and vendors would still be required to get a state license for liquor sales, Sterman said.
The city would try to keep the license at $100 or less, he said. The license would be good for the entire season.
Sterman said the board wouldn't be able to have anything ready for the market's opening day, but they would try to move it forward as soon as possible.
The Lake Saint Louis Farmer and Artists Market opens at 8 a.m. and runs until noon, rain or shine, and is open every Saturday until October 26.
READ MORE:
- Home-Grown and Handcrafted: The Lake Saint Louis Farmers' and Artists' Market
- New Paleo Bakery in St. Charles Got Its Start at Lake Saint Louis Farmers Market
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