The Meridian Township Farmers' Market opens two hours later this Saturday. In November the Saturday market starts at 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. and still closes at 2 p.m. It stays at the Marketplace on the Green pavilion, 1995 Central Park Drive, for three more Saturdays, through November 21. On November 28 it moves into the JCPenney wing of Meridian Mall. On December 1 the pavilion becomes a free public skating rink.
The township publishes the market dates ahead of time, the indoor move lands on the same Saturday every year, and the rink has a plastic surface, so a warm spell can't push back its opening. If you know the calendar, you can plan the rest of the year's Saturdays now.
| Date | What happens | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | First 10 a.m. Saturday market | Marketplace on the Green | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Saturday market | Marketplace on the Green | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Last outdoor market of 2026 | Marketplace on the Green | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | First indoor market | Meridian Mall, JCPenney wing | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Free public skating opens | Marketplace on the Green pavilion | Dawn to 9 p.m. daily |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 12, 19 | Weekly indoor markets | Meridian Mall, JCPenney wing | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
The last three Saturdays on the Green
The Wednesday market finished its season on October 28, so from now until spring the market runs on Saturdays only. The township posts an expected-vendor list on its farmers market page before each market. The October 24 list gives a good idea of what's still selling outdoors this late in the year.
- Produce and mushrooms: The Country Mill, Titus Farms, Green Eagle Farm, Turnip the Beets Farm, Highwater Farms and Mycophiles Garden
- Bread and baked goods: Stone Circle Bakehouse with its wood-fired loaves, Bread Ahead, Freshies Bakery and Pizzelles Plus
- Meat, fish and cheese: Circle F Meats & Mercantile, MI Great Lakes Fish Co., Olmsted Farm and The Cheese People of GR
- Pantry staples: Clark Sugarbush maple syrup, Craig's Hilltop Honey and 45th Parallel Pickle
- Coffee and cider: Peculiar Coffee, The Fresh Grinds, plus apple cider and hard cider from The Country Mill and Boss Cider Company
- Services: MI Sharp knife and blade sharpening, and Eastside Compost
The same list marks several vendors as returning on November 7: Jennings Farm, MaMa C's Sauces, Sixteen Sprigs Lavender Farm and Beeswax BARRN. Mars Dust, a spice-blend vendor, is listed as returning December 5, which would make its first day back an indoor market. The roster changes every week, so check the township page on Friday night before you plan around one vendor.
Bridge Card shoppers can still use SNAP tokens on eligible foods all winter, and Double Up Food Bucks still apply to fresh produce, herbs and garden plants.
The move indoors always follows Thanksgiving
The township didn't come up with this schedule for 2026. In a November 24, 2025 release, the market announced it would move into the JCPenney corridor of Meridian Mall on Saturday, November 29, 2025, the weekend after Thanksgiving. The release said the market would meet every Saturday until Christmas, then on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of each month from January 3 through April, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. WLNS reported the same arrangement for the 2024–25 winter: the JCPenney corridor, weekly Saturdays through Christmas, then first, third and fifth Saturdays through April.
This year November 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the pattern holds. The four indoor markets on November 28 and December 5, 12 and 19 fall on back-to-back Saturdays. After New Year's the schedule thins out. The township lists first, third and fifth Saturdays from January through April. Some months have five Saturdays and some don't, so you'll get two or three winter markets a month. That's one reason to stock up on maple syrup, honey and freezer meat before the end of December.
The hours stay the same through the move: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Green in November and in the mall wing all winter. If you get used to the later start this month, you won't have to change anything when the market moves inside.
Why the rink is plastic
Once the market leaves, the pavilion gets its winter use. The 40-by-92-foot rink at Marketplace on the Green is open for free public skating every day from December 1 to March 31, dawn to 9 p.m. The lending cabinet has loaner skates donated by Delta Dental, Suburban Ice Arena and community members. Hockey sticks, pucks, street shoes, food, drinks and pets aren't allowed on the skating surface.
It doesn't depend on the weather because there's no ice. When the rink opened in November 2021, WILX reported why the township chose a synthetic surface, quoting then-Parks and Recreation Director LuAnn Maisner:
"Traditional ice rinks are difficult to maintain throughout the winter months, due to unpredictable temperatures. This artificial ice rink will provide a consistent opportunity for outdoor fun this winter! The surface is slower than real ice, but overall provides a similar experience."
The same WILX story said the $60,000 project was paid for through the Meridian Township Park Millage, which voters approved in 2014. The township lists December 1 as the opening day.
The glide took some adjusting. In January 2022, HOMTV reported that early feedback on the skating was "less than satisfactory." The Parks and Recreation Department worked with the manufacturer to add a surface amendment meant to give a smoother glide. The station also reported that the rink material can last 20 to 30 years, and that freshly sharpened skates improve the synthetic experience.
That last detail ties back to the market. MI Sharp, the knife and blade sharpening vendor, was on the October 24 roster. If you have skates in the garage, ask about them on one of the three outdoor Saturdays and you'll be ready when the rink opens a few steps away.
Lunch from the trucks, or from Jolly Road
The market's food-truck list for October 24 included Get Loaded Food Truck and From Scratch Food Truck, along with Grampa's Pastys, Byrd Crepe, El Burrito Mexicano and Mumbai 28. Those first two trucks now have a permanent home. According to WITL, Get Loaded Kitchen began a soft opening on August 3 at 2398 Jolly Road, the former Tantay Peruvian Restaurant space. It combines the Haslett-based Get Loaded truck with From Scratch. The menu pairs Mediterranean dishes with "fully loaded" bases of fries, mac and cheese, rice or baked potatoes, plus Dubai chocolate donut holes for dessert. The Lansing State Journal included it in its September 2 roundup of August openings around Lansing.
So when the trucks stop coming to the pavilion for the winter, the menu is still available on Jolly Road.
The rest of the year's Saturdays, in order
Since the pavilion's schedule is fixed, you can line up every Saturday through December 19 now. Harris Nature Center, 3998 Van Atta Road, fills in some of the afternoons.
- November 7, 14 and 21: Outdoor market at Marketplace on the Green, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- November 21, 3 to 4 p.m.: Critters and the Cold at Harris Nature Center, with the resident animals and a guided walk through the autumn woods, $5 per person. It starts an hour after the last outdoor market closes.
- November 28: First indoor market in the JCPenney wing of Meridian Mall.
- December 1: The rink opens at the pavilion, free, dawn to 9 p.m. daily.
- December 5: Indoor market. Mars Dust is listed as returning that day.
- December 6, 9 to 10 a.m.: Dogs and Coffee at Harris Nature Center, a naturalist-led walk in the woods with coffee, $5 per person.
- December 12 and 19: The last two weekly indoor markets before the January schedule begins.
You can reach the market managers, Tom Cary and Mel Miles, at [email protected] or 517.712.2395 if you have questions about a particular vendor or date.
At Thornton Realty Team, we keep track of how Okemos spends its Saturdays: the market, the rink and the new spots on Jolly Road. If a winter move is coming up, or you just want to talk through what a neighborhood looks like in each season, we'd be glad to help. Work With Us.
