There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of reasons to visit downtown Roanoke these days, but that hasn’t stopped a local organization from offering a few more. Downtown Roanoke Incorporated’s “City Market Saturdays,” have presented a variety of programs on Saturday mornings and will continue to do so until October.
Sponsored by Haley Toyota, City Market Saturdays offers cooking demonstrations, live music and even health screenings to those that can tear themselves away from the Farmer’s Market, City Market food court, the museums or other goings-on in the area. Haley is bringing in a different new car to show off every weekend to add some more fun in the mix.
Lyndsay Smith, Communications and Program Manager for Downtown Roanoke Inc. (DRI), said City Market Saturdays now includes last year’s Music on the Market program, which was curtailed as a separate event due to budget issues. “We’re just mixing it up,” said Smith.
The cooking demos staged by local restaurants and culinary schools take place on the second Saturday of every month through September. Other weekends will feature music and assorted programs, with the last Saturday of the month focused on information and how-to sessions.
At a City Market Saturday event several weeks ago nurses from Carilion Clinic were checking blood pressure, body mass index and other vital signs, while handing out information on various health issues.
“It’s a great venue,” said Community Outreach representative Edie Naughton (RN), who noted that they had seen “a lot of out-of-towners … on their way to somewhere else,” visit the booth. Teen pregnancy, diabetes and breast health awareness were also part of Carilion’s message. “We’re trying to grab some people and hopefully [send] them away with a little more information,” said Naughton. “We’ve found some people that need attention and should probably see a doctor.”
“Just to do something different on Saturdays,” said Smith of the motivation for City Market Saturdays, “because we are a seven day a week market.” It’s not hard to find the downtown market area crowded on a weekday when local businesses are open, “but what’s the draw to get people down here on a Saturday?” asks Smith.
This Saturday (July 10) features another “Chef on the Market Day,” with demonstrations by the Virginia Western Culinary Institute. Appetizers take center stage from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., with entrees from 1:30 – 2:30. July 17 features music by the Poison Bottom Boys. Virginia Western chefs-in-training will return on August 14 for another demonstration.
As the market area bustled with locals and tourists, the Carilion Clinic booth pulled in its fair share of visitors on a recent Saturday afternoon. “We’re very fortunate to have a Farmer’s Market like this,” said Naughton, adding that DRI asked them to be a part of City Market Saturdays.
For a complete schedule, visit downtownroanoke.org
By Gene Marrano [email protected]