Weekend fun and festivities will kick off a day earlier in Racine this summer, now that the Downtown Racine Corporation and Kenosha's Original HarborMarket have joined forces to launch the Racine HarborMarket on the last Thursday of each month, beginning June 30, 2022.
The unprecedented collaboration brings the award-winning European-style outdoor market that has been a Kenosha fixture for 20 years to Racine's Monument Square, a city treasure that has been a site of community celebration for more than 180 years.
The inaugural event will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 30. Subsequent Racine HarborMarkets will be held at the same times July 28, August 25 and September 29.
"Adding an event like this diversifies further the festival footprint of our city," said Kelly Kruse, executive director of the Downtown Racine Corporation. "Having the fun of the Racine HarborMarket on Thursdays gets our summer weekends off to an early start."
Kenosha HarborMarket Executive Director Andrea Forgianni agreed that the synergy of the two communities coming together will be memorable.
"We could not be more excited to introduce our neighbors to the north to our brand of farmers market," she said. "It's a unique experience that will be even more unique in such a marvelous new location."
Shoppers will be able to find the freshest regional produce, including favorites such as berries and other fruits and vegetables, fresh flower bouquets and plants (vegetables, herbs, shrubs, flowers and more). Artisan baked-good vendors will be selling pastries, breads, pies, tarts, cookies and more. Arts and crafts vendors will also be on hand, including local and regional galleries, crafters and painters.
Live music will also be featured on each date of the new market, with Mean Jake performing opening day -- and beer will be available for purchase.
Both Kruse and Forgianni said they hope this is just the start of a new Southeastern Wisconsin tradition.
"I have no doubt Racine will love the HarborMarket," Kruse said. "I believe we're just getting started."
Added Forgianni, whose late father Ray founded the Kenosha HarborMarket: "We expect this to be an enormous success that becomes an annual undertaking, My dad would be so proud that his vision is expanding."
Parking each week can be found at the Lake Avenue Ramp (300 Lake Avenue), Civic Centre Ramp (501 Lake Avenue) and the McMynn Ramp (120 7th Street) for only $2 all day.
About the Downtown Racine Corporation
The Downtown Racine Corporation's mission is to foster economic, social, and cultural diversity by stimulating business development, programming events, and marketing downtown to the community, developers, and tourists. It is the vision that Downtown Racine, with its scenic lakefront and historic Main Street, is the true heart and economic engine of our community; a vibrant and diverse destination to live, shop, explore, and conduct business.
The Kenosha HarborMarket's mission is to provide growers and craftsmen with an outlet for the sale of freshly picked produce, and related agricultural and horticultural products.
To accomplish this mission, they:
- Provide artists and crafters an outlet for the works of their trade.
- Provide a forum for performance arts.
- Provide a forum of food preparation and cooking demonstration.
- Develop sources of marketing, management, and agricultural information for its members.
- Encourage growth of the local/regional food supply by promoting closer ties between local producers and consumers.
- Develop sources of marketing, management, and agricultural information for its members.
- And to provide an educational forum for the understanding of agriculture, sustainable agriculture, art, crafts, cooking and performance arts.
