"Last year there was a lot of success and customers requested longer dates," she said. "We polled the vendors who also agreed to extend the market dates, because they had product and were happy to do it."
The market's vendors applied for an extension, which the Town of Hanover reviewed with the Hanover Police and the fire department to assess the impact that extending the dates might have on the town.
Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin said it was an "easy to make the decision" to allow the market, which operates every Wednesday beginning the first week in June from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., to continue for two additional weeks.
"It's a great event, it was wonderful for Dartmouth to agree to let the market on the Green," Griffin said. "It's well attended and popular, so we're excited for it to be on the Green."
The Hanover Chamber of Commerce manages the market, and the College lends the space on the Green, according to Wilson. The Town of Hanover provides free parking, while Mascoma Bank provides musical entertainment by hiring performers, which Wilson said adds to the atmosphere of the market.
"The market brings together students, families, dogs, everyone," Janet Rebman, executive director of the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce, said. "It brings the community to one place to do something positive."
The farmers' market, which features a variety of stands along the Green's crisscrossing paths, sells foods ranging from lemonade to crepes and also offers non-food items such as wool and handmade bowls and jewelry. The market is typically well-attended by Dartmouth students and community members, and town officials hope this trend will only increase with the new dates of operation.
Because the farmers' market begins operation the first Wednesday in June, students who are off campus are usually not able to attend. The last day of the market has previously fallen on the last Wednesday of September, usually immediately after most students return to campus.
The decision to extend the farmers' market an additional two weeks has been received very positively by students, vendors and local residents.
"We were glad when we were asked to go longer," Verne DuClos of Gizmo's Pickled Plus in Baintree, Vt., said. "The students enjoy being here and we enjoy serving them."
Like many local residents, Lindsay Koeing of Hanover said she enjoys bringing her children to the market.
"The music is nice, the food is good and we usually meet friends here," she said. "It definitely feels good to support the local economy."
Dozens of students visit the farmers' market each week, frequently visiting the stands and sitting in groups as they enjoy their purchases on the Green.
"This is my first time at this market but it seems like they have really good food," Christine Kiernan '15 said. "I would definitely come back every week until it closes."
