As The Monroe Sun reported, CT Insider named the Monroe Farmers' Market one of five finalists for Best Farmers' Market in Fairfield County for 2026. Bethel's market took the top spot, and Monroe's came in as runner-up. First Selectman Terry Rooney marked the placement with a small ceremony in front of Town Hall. State Sen. Jason Perillo, R-21st, handed Market Manager Kelly Plunkett a plaque, and it now hangs in the Town Hall hallway.
The market sets up on the Monroe Green every Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., at the corner of Fan Hill Road and Route 111. Listings for the 2026 season run from June 19 through October 23. Three Fridays remain in the season after today.
A Second-Place Market Built Inside Town Hall
The Monroe Sun's account of the ceremony includes a detail about who was in the room. Plunkett thanked the town for supporting the market through "the last 19 seasons." She said health, finance, public works and human resources are among the departments that play an integral part in its success.
The attendance list matches that. Community and Economic Development Director William Holsworth came, along with Health Director Laurel Shaw, Tax Collector Deborah Heim and Assistant Director of Finance Heidi Meade. The department heads named at the ceremony came from economic development, health, tax collection and finance.
The Monroe Chamber of Commerce also lists the market on its site and describes itself as organizing it. Between the chamber, the market manager and the town departments, the market has more than one set of hands on it. Rooney said the market gets better year after year, and Plunkett shared the recognition with those departments.
Friday Afternoon Is the Slot Nobody Else Nearby Uses
Monroe's schedule looks different once it sits next to the markets around it. Shelton, Fairfield and Newtown each hold theirs on a different day, and none of the three overlaps with Friday.
| Market | Day and hours | Season runs through |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe Farmers' Market, Monroe Green | Fridays, 3 to 6 p.m. | October 23 |
| Shelton Farmers Market, 100 Canal Street | Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon | October 31 |
| Fairfield Farmers Market | Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | October 11 |
| Newtown Farmers Market, Fairfield Hills | Tuesdays, 2 to 6 p.m. | End of October |
Monroe's market falls on the first afternoon of the weekend, ahead of Shelton's Saturday morning riverside market and Fairfield's Sunday one. Of the four markets in the table, it is the only one that runs on a Friday.
The closing dates are worth reading against each other. Fairfield's Sunday market ends October 11, which is less than two weeks away. Monroe's outlasts it by twelve days. Shelton's Saturday market runs eight days past Monroe's. For the last stretch of October, the Friday market and the Saturday market are the two still operating on a weekend schedule.
The regional listings do not all agree on the exact closing date. One gives a date that falls on a Saturday, which does not fit a Friday market. The Monroe Farmers' Market's own site, monroefarmersmarket.org, is the place to confirm the last day before you plan around it.
What Else Fits Around the Remaining Fridays
Here is how the three remaining Fridays line up against other things on the calendar.
- October 9. This is the last Friday before Fairfield's Sunday market closes on October 11.
- October 16. Monroe Restaurant Week ran October 11 to 19 in 2025, run by the Economic Development Commission under Chairman Ray Giovanni. Last year's edition added a pumpkin scavenger hunt, with a hidden pumpkin at each participating restaurant. I could not find 2026 dates, so the town's Restaurant Week page and the EDC's social accounts are where the schedule will appear once it is announced.
- October 23. According to the listings, this is the market's final Friday of the season, with Shelton's Saturday market still running on October 24 and October 31.
The Apple Festival at St. Peter's Grace Episcopal Church has already run this year. The earlier post on why its date keeps moving covers that clock, and the market keeps a different one.
The Market's Own Calendar
Plunkett's mention of 19 seasons puts the market's beginning well before the current run. The market's own blog says it was voted Connecticut's Favorite Farmers' Market in 2015. The CT Insider result is a newer and more local measure, and it places Monroe second among Fairfield County's finalists for 2026.
The market's own site describes its offerings as Connecticut-grown produce, ethically raised meat, eggs and shellfish, prepared foods and hand-crafted specialty items. Vendors change from season to season, so the market's vendor list is the place to check for what's there this week. The Green itself is at the center of town, and the market takes place at its Fan Hill Road and Route 111 corner, in front of Town Hall.
CT Insider's 2026 pick put the Friday market second among its Fairfield County finalists. Three Fridays remain on the calendar to go again.
Stop by the Green this Friday, and if a conversation about Monroe turns to what comes next for your own place, The Kasey Team is happy to have it.
