June 11: Aurora GREEN SCENE includes 4 events

The downtown Aurora Farmers Market will open for the season Saturday, June 11 and highlight the “Green Scene” taking over the City next weekend.

The Farmers Market enters its 99th year bringing a wide variety of farm fresh produce, organic food, fresh bread and baked goods, fine wines, fresh flowers and more. The market will have expanded hours this season serving customers from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Oct. 22 at the Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway Ave.

For the first time, low income families will be able to use their Illinois electronic benefits transfer (EBT) link card to make purchases.

Residents wanting to learn more about the Farmers Market, including two additional markets opening in July on the City’s Far East and West sides, should visit www.aurora-il.org.

A free shuttle will be provided by Aurora Township at the Aurora Transportation Center to take patrons to the three other free “Green Scene” events throughout the City June 11.

The Aurora Green Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prisco Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave. The event, which will highlight the latest environmental ideas and technology, will feature more than 30 eco-friendly exhibits and speakers. Green Fest will entertain children with games and prizes while adults can learn green techniques to save money on their home utility bills.

The event is sponsored by the Aurora Green Lights, an independent non-profit group affiliated with The Conservation Foundation and geared toward promoting sustainable living in Aurora. For more information on the festival and the organization, visit www.auroragreenlights.org.

The City’s Green Scene also includes the Aurora Paddlesports Festival, a two-day canoeing and kayaking festival that will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 11 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 12 at Mastodon Lake at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive. Residents can get free lessons on how to use a multitude of environmentally friendly “human-powered” crafts. More than 30 retailers, paddling clubs and river-related organizations also will introduce patrons to the Illinois paddling community.

The third annual Paddlesports Festival is being presented by Paddle and Trail and the Illinois Paddling Council in partnership with the City of Aurora. For more information, visit www.aurorapaddlesportsfestival.org.

After taking a ride in the lake, residents can stake claim to more land-based activities with the Art in the Park from noon to 5 p.m. June 11 and 12. The City’s inaugural event will feature various mediums of art, food vendors and music at the west end of Phillips Park.

The last stop on the Green Scene is the Louche Puce Market, a new outdoor European-style vintage and collectible fair. The market will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 11 in the downtown Water Street Mall between Galena Boulevard and Downer Place. Patrons can re-purpose an eclectic mix of antiques, retro-furniture, vintage fashion and more.

The Louche Puce Market will be held the second Saturday of each month through September. For more information, contact Jeannie Norris at norrisjeanne@gmail.com.