Saturday, December 17, marks the end of the season for the Farmers’ Market at the PSU Campus, and the last opportunity for snapping up locally made and grown products. Non-perishable gift ideas include jams and jellies, hazelnuts, smoked salmon, locally processed sausages and pates, vinegars, chocolates and bags of chestnuts for roasting on an open fire. There are always plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables (a great mushroom selection), plants, and flowers. The market is open from 9:00am to 2:00pm
A tram ride across town ends at the Saturday Market at Ankeny Plaza and Waterfront Park. Since 1974, this outdoor market has offered shoppers an opportunity to buy directly from local artists and craftspeople. You’ll find a wide variety of unusual, one-of-a-kind gifts from jewelry, handmade fashions, bent spoon art, duct tape wallets to a catnip filled body pillow for your favorite feline. There’s always music and entertainment, and a food court with ethnic cuisines from all over the world. While usually open on Saturday and Sundays only, The Festival of the Last Minute runs daily until Christmas Eve at 5:00pm.
