Allen County Marketplace has completed a second successful season of welcoming growers, vendors and artists to Huntertown Family Park.

Huntertown residents Steve and Michelle Lebrecht operate Allen County Marketplace. The market has averaged 5,000 visitors on the second Saturday of each month, May through October, according to Michelle.

The Oct. 8 market set a new high with 119 vendors.

One unique vendor was newly published author Tabitha Sprunger. The DeKalb County native now lives in Fort Wayne. Her first book came out in June of last year, and she has two more out, with a fourth to be published in the next few months. The series is available for purchase online and at Barnes & Noble.

While the “Hart Street and Main” series has a teen and young adult magical fiction genre, it certainly doesn’t stop people well above the target ages of 11 to 18 from reading it.

“I have people in their mid-to-late twenties reading my books. They’re even locally illustrated,” Sprunger said.

While Sprunger met her audience in person at the farmers market, she also had notebooks for sale and various other art prints. It was also a good opportunity to have the author sign the books, not an opportunities readers get all the time.

Families and people of all ages were out enjoying the chilly weather, despite the sun making an appearance closer to the 11 a.m. hour, while socializing with other community members.

People could pick up a loaf of bread, woodwork and art prints and much more.

The 6-hour market also featured live music by Garry Jones and Jordan Bridges, visits by the Grade A Tacos and A’Roma Pizza food trucks, coffee by Country Roads and Travelin’ Tom’s, Edwin Coe Spirits, and a game zone sponsored by T-Mobile.

It’s a bittersweet feeling for Michelle to have the market wind down for the season, but she’s looking forward to some rest and relaxation before they start registration for the next farmers market season.

“There are no current plans for a winter market. It would depend on a location,” she said. “We will wind down for a bit, then start the 2023 season sign-ups in November.”

According to Lebrecht, many of the vendors have already asked when registration for 2023 will start. The market again is tentatively scheduled for the second Saturday of each month, May through October.

Contact the Lebrechts by email at allencomarketplace@gmail.com, by Facebook or Instagram, or at 269-873-3481.