Riverwalk Market Fair

Riverwalk Market Fair has framed its Saturday market around a clear mission: support local farmers and artisans for the benefit of the community. In Northfield, that mission plays out on Bridge Square with locally grown produce, artisan foods, and a juried selection of artwork, plus a rotating calendar of music, events, and family activities. The setting matters here too: the summer market runs in historic downtown Northfield along the Cannon River, giving the market a distinctly Bridge Square identity rather than an interchangeable parking-lot layout.

Why it matters locally

Since 2010, Riverwalk Market Fair has tied local food and art together in one Saturday market, and its own mission keeps the focus on supporting local farmers and artisans for the benefit of the community. That local role extends beyond weekly shopping. The market runs a Farm to Families Program that buys locally grown produce in bulk from participating vendors and distributes it through the Community Action Center of Rice County.

Food access is also built into regular market programming. The Power of Produce Club gives children $5 tokens to spend on produce at the market. The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program provides low-income seniors with fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs through a Minnesota Department of Agriculture program. Taken together, those programs make Riverwalk more than a place to browse; they connect Northfield-area shoppers, growers, and food-access partners in direct ways.

What you'll find there

Bridge Square is the organizing feature here: Riverwalk publishes a vendor map so shoppers can look up favorite sellers or see who will be set up on a given Saturday. The market also emphasizes a changing mix from week to week, with produce, artisan foods, juried artwork, music, and family activities all part of the Saturday format.

• -Browse locally grown produce as a core part of the Saturday market mix.
• -Pick up artisan foods sold alongside farm goods and art.
• -Explore a juried selection of artwork presented as part of the market.

Special events are frequent and specific rather than occasional add-ons. Weekly programming includes the Great Radish Scavenger Hunt, where a hidden stuffed radish earns the finder a $10 gift card. Other scheduled dates include library story time on June 13, Senior Saturday with FiftyNorth on June 20, and Cannon Valley Youth Orchestra performances every hour from 9am to noon on July 18.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, a policy worth knowing before you head to Bridge Square. For parking, downtown street parking is available, and there is also a public lot at the corner of Washington and 5th Street. The summer market is held at 1 Bridge Square in historic downtown Northfield along the Cannon River, which places it right in the center of the district rather than at an outlying fairground site.

One scheduling detail can change a Saturday plan: the summer market runs rain or shine, but it is not held on September 12 during the Defeat of Jesse James Days. Restrooms are not available on site. If you visit outside the main outdoor season, Riverwalk also runs a winter market at Northfield Middle School from late November through mid-December.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Riverwalk Market Fair, and food access is a visible part of the market's structure rather than a side note. That shows up in several programs tied to the market, including the Power of Produce Club for kids and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for eligible seniors.