Weekly farmers market to open March 9 in downtown Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 | 12:05 p.m.

Downtown Las Vegas will get a touch of country living soon — a new weekly indoor farmer’s market.

The Downtown3rd Farmers Market will launch Friday, March 9, and will be held each Friday thereafter from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a former bus terminal at 300 N. Casino Center, near U.S. Highway 95 South and Casino Center Drive.

The market, recently approved by the city planning commission, will operate in the former Regional Transportation Center's bus terminal. The site is adjacent to the new Mob Museum and the old city hall, which will soon be the corporate campus of Zappos.com.

The 10,000-square-foot market, which will have free parking, will feature fresh regional produce from farmers throughout Nevada, Utah and California.

It will also include cooking demonstrations by the city’s best chefs and other community activities in support of the local food movement. Ingredients from the chef’s recipes will be pre-packaged for shoppers to purchase.

Local bakers and food truck vendors will sell freshly prepared food.

The facility will feature UNLV master gardners, who will provide advice for those preparing springtime crops at home.

The market will also feature activities for children, including a Kids Craft Zone.

Those interested in participating can find out more information at Downtown3rd.com and at facebook.com/Downtown3rd.

The market is a project of Kerry Clasby, who calls herself the Intuitive Forager, and Cheryl MacPherson, a Las Vegas food and beverage executive.

They two are working with Fifth Street Gaming, which is overseeing redevelopment of Downtown Grand, the former Lady Luck Hotel & Casino, and Downtown3rd, the development area along 3rd Street between Stewart Avenue and Ogden Street.

"There is nothing quite like buying your dinner ingredients directly from those who nurture the produce from seed to harvest," Clasby said in a prepared statement. "Farmers Markets not only promote a healthy quality of life, they support regional growers and foragers to create a cycle of healthy sustainability."