Farmers Market vendors welcome parade crowd

Meghan Leyden, owner of Flower & Doughs was one of many Lakeside Farmers Market vendors inundated by customers shortly after the Celebrate America parade ended on July 5, 2025.

This year’s Celebrate America Parade included a salute to the first responders — those who answered the call during the Jennings Creek Fire — and to pay tribute to the memory of Dariel Vasquez, the young firefighter who had tragically lost his life during the fire that affected so much of the forest adjacent to Greenwood Lake and Sterling Forest last year.

Village fire trucks, EMT vehicles and volunteers, and members of the police force numbered among the participants in the event which also included scouting groups and non-government organizations.

As the parade passed by the farmers market in Winstanley Park on Windermere Avenue, residents and visitors were reminded of the fresh produce, fruit, cheese, fresh baked breads, prepared foods and artisan crafts that are displayed each Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Visitors were especially interested in what Flower & Dough had to offer. Owner and baker Meghan grows fresh flowers using organic practices and bakes sourdough bread and other homemade goods. She emphasizes slow living, good soil, and an honest craft, with every bouquet and loaf made by hand with intention and in rhythm with the seasons.

The breads and pastries are exquisitely ornate in design.

“...They’re all sourdough so it’s a slow fermentation process that takes about a day to create them,” Leyden said. “I put them in the fridge when I take them out to bake them and then do a dusting of flour. I take a Lane knife...and I cut the designs into it right before I bake them.” The cinnamon rolls are apparently another favorite of the customers because she frequently runs out.

Each week visitors are invited to stop by the Lakeside Farmers Market and enjoy what the vendors offer. Unique produce, like curly and dinosaur kale, garlic scapes, fresh-picked berries, homemade cheeses, cage-free chicken and fresh eggs, homemade Greek yogurt, and other specialties are just a few of the items to be found at the market, which accepts SNAP as well as its own Market Bucks program.

Learn more about the market at VillageofGreenwoodLake.gov/lakeside-farmers-market.