Homemade, handcrafted & homegrown

While most back yard gardens in the area are just starting to mature, fresh, local garden produce like tomatoes and cucumbers can probably be found Saturday morning at the Market on the Square in Aurora. 
The market’s 2026 season launched on June 6 with nine vendors bringing everything from local produce to crafts and baked goods, according to Chamber of Commerce President and market coordinator Derek Rose. 
“We really emphasize anything homemade, handcrafted or homegrown,” Rose said. “So we do have a number of people who do baked goods and we had somebody bring farm fresh eggs this last Saturday, which was awesome because we’ve kind of been missing out on an egg vendor here these last couple of years. We’ve had a couple people who do homemade lotions, sunscreens and those types of things, and a lot of hand-sewn items like bags and crocheted blankets. One lady brought some really neat handmade jewelry. 
“We’ll usually have a couple of guys later in the season who will bring a bunch of things like hand-crafted wood items,” Rose continued. “This one guy makes handles for hatchets and pizza cutters and so on. It’s really neat stuff. So it doesn’t all necessarily fall under the traditional category of what you might consider as farmers market produce, but everything at least is made by the people who are there. You know, they’re not buying things from China and coming to sell their knickknacks at our market.”
Rose said because some of the vendors start their plants indoors or have greenhouses, they often have garden produce available for sale weeks before most gardens begin producing. Other items that can often be found at the market during the season include local honey, sweet corn (in season), bakery goods and fresh flowers. 
While technically still on the square at its location on the Heritage Bank parking lot in front of the large Aurora mural, the market has been moved temporarily from its traditional location in the courthouse parking lot due to the ongoing construction there. However, Rose said the site is working for now and has the benefit of good visibility and easy access. He said he hopes when the construction is complete (perhaps later this summer) the market can be moved back to its home on the east side of the courthouse where there is more room to spread out, more shade and access to the courthouse restrooms. 
As the season progresses Rose said the number of vendors is growing which, of course, means a growing variety of items being offered for sale. 
“It’s always a little bit of a mystery,” Rose said. “Last year we ended with about 22 vendors from around the area.”  
Market on the Square is held each Saturday morning from 8-11 a.m. through the end of August, and since most of the vendors have shades, it can be held rain or shine, except in cases of severe weather.