The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market is a seasonal farmers market that is held in the covered pavilion on the property of the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum (75 N. Water St, Poughkeepsie).
The Market is a showcase that celebrates and shares the agricultural bounty of the Hudson Valley, including fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, poultry, baked goods, and more from local Hudson Valley farms.
The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market is operated and managed by the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, a private 501(c)3 organization.
HISTORY: The Market was established in 2017. In 2018, the Market expanded its invitation to vendors who offer products to include Hudson Valley produced beer, wine, cider and spirits, as well as soaps and body products, wool products, bee products and other agriculturally related products. That same year, the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market was featured in a leadership forum on social justice issues at the annual conference of the Association of Children’s Museum’s annual conference in Raleigh, NC. In 2019, the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum was the recipient of the 2019 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Business Practice by the Association of Science and Technology Centers (Washington D.C.) for its establishment of the Market as a strategy to advance community health.
The Market features our signature Kids Kitchen program, a Museum educator-led workshop in which children and their grown ups learn to shop the market and then practice preparing a simple recipe. Participation in Kids Kitchen is free of charge and open to the public. The Market also features live music provided by nationally recognized and local musicians, featuring a different act each week and a rotating showcase of the work of other local non-profit organizations.
The Market is steps away from both the Poughkeepsie Train Station and The Walkway Over the Hudson elevator, and two city parks – making the Market accessible to City residents, families visiting the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, tourists and commuters alike.
The main goal of the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market is to make farm food accessible and affordable to City residents and families. To this end, our Market is an authorized partner in the New York State's WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), and WIC Vegetables and Fruit Check Program (WIC VF). These programs provide benefits to eligible low-income women infants, children and seniors for the purchase of fresh, unprocessed vegetables and fruits directly from farmers. In July 2018, The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market also became a certified SNAP market, which allows for income-eligible Market patrons to use EBT cards to purchase for greater selection of healthy food items. The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market’s participation in these programs is made possible with major support from MVP Healthcare, with additional support from Market sponsors, Green Mountain Energy and Price Chopper.
In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, our 2020 season was extended by two months in an effort to connect City of Poughkeepsie residents with fresh, locally-sourced food. The Market operated weekly on Mondays from 3:00 pm - 6:30 pm from May 4th through October 26, 2020. During the COVID-19 public health crisis, the Market operated under guidelines set forth by New York State to ensure social distancing. Until further notice, public programming and live entertainment is not permitted.
In 2020, several funders made it possible for the Market to open early in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Dyson Foundation, the Evelyn M. Davies Charitable Trust, Humanities New York, Stewarts Shops, the Voya Foundation, Dutchess Responds (Dutchess County in collaboration with the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley), the City of Poughkeepsie, Price Chopper Golub Foundation, and the Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties for awarding grants in support of our 2020 Market operations.
FUN FACT: The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is the first children’s museum in the entire United States to open and operate a public farmers market. The Market was implemented as part of the Museum’s Health & Wellness initiative with the goals of advancing nutrition education, connecting local farms to new consumers, and making food accessible and affordable to city of Poughkeepsie residents and families.
