Sundays at the Rockville Centre Growers Market

It started off as a gray and gloomy day, it was hot and the forecast predicted rain, but then the sun briefly came out. No matter how unpredictable the weather can be it did not stop people from supporting The Long Island Growers Market in Rockville Centre.

It is a community ritual that brings out customers who shop for fresh vegetables, organic fruits, delicious baked goods, homemade jams, homebrewed beer, homemade pickles, and so much more.

“It is a good day for families to bring their kids and meet with neighbors or for people who are visiting Rockville Centre to explore the town and see what it has to offer such as patronizing local business with shopping or dinning,” Ethel Terry, founder and managing director of the Long Island Growers Market, said.

Terry, who is the co-owner of the 400-year-old family-run business, Fred Terry and Son Farms, based in Orient Point, created the Growers Market more than three decades ago to help vendors and their businesses.

Since then, she has continued to hold different farmer’s markets all over the region, including the one in Rockville Centre which has been going strong for the last 18 years.

She said, “Customers enjoy knowing vendors and enjoy coming to the market every Sunday. They know where the local produce comes from — fresh pick. Vendors make, bake, grow or catch their food.”

Ethel said she finds farming to be a rewarding lifestyle. She says “The satisfaction is overwhelming because you get to feed people.”

At the market, you can find a group of vendors that offer their products for sale: Orchard and Conklin, Pecks of Maine, Darling Pies, and Horman’s Best Pickles, Orwashers, Captain Mike’s Fresh Catch of the Day, Dekkade Foods, Ginamarie’s, and Barking Biscuit.

One vendor is new to the RVC Grower’s Market is Brew Master and Rockville Centre native, Brian McEvoy of the Jones Beach Brewing Company.

“I have been at the Rockville Centre farmers market for two years now and look forward to the following years to come,” McEvoy said. “I love serving craft beer in my hometown of Rockville Centre and to have the support of the people.”

McEvoy said there were a lot of challenges getting the brewery off the ground as a result of the Covid pandemic. “Covid set us back from a physical tap room standpoint, but we learned how to operate a small business during that time.”

The company is now looking for a physical location on the south shore of Nassau County. He says he is grateful for Chris, Randy, Mike and MJ for the opportunity to be part of the Jones Beach Brewing team.

And while you shop, the market provides live entertainment that is “not so loud or obnoxious,” Terry said. “It’s really just a nice-sounding atmosphere.”

The music is provided courtesy of retired retail storeowner Ike Abady who plays the guitar while the patrons shop. Abady said that he normally entertains audiences as a trio with his band, but at the marketplace, he performs solo.

After many years of performing at the market, he said, “It’s just a lot of fun and I love being here.”

The Growers Market, in collaboration with Stony Brook University Hospital, offers complimentary sunscreen dispensers at each marketplace, ensuring that your skin stays healthy in the hot summer sun. Customers can also get free high blood pressure screenings provided by the Rockville Centre Fire Department.

Terry invites members of the community to come and visit the market, which runs every Sunday now through December 24.

“It’s a pet-friendly and family-friendly environment and there is plenty of parking space,” Terry said.

The Long Growers Market in Rockville Centre is located on Sunrise Highway and Long Beach Road, across from Bigelow’s Clam Bar, between Rockville Centre and Oceanside.

For more information, you can go to the website at LongIslandGrowersMarket.com or send an email to LongIslandGrowersmarket@gmail.com