GROTON -- The Groton Farmers Market at the Williams Barn will open for its ninth season on July 6. The Market will be open every Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and will continue through October 5. Again this year, the Market will be held in the field behind the town-owned Williams Barn at 160 Chicopee Row, just 1.5 miles north of Main Street.

Vendors include farmers with vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants, fruit, frozen meat and berries, as well as food products made or processed in the Groton area with local ingredients such as breads, cheese, baked goods, honey, eggs, maple syrup, jams and jellies. Returning are a berry farmer and a vendor offering spinach pie and other ready-to-eat specialties, as well as a gluten-free bakery. For the first time, wine will be available for purchase from two local vintners. The market has been certified by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and its vendors are eligible to accept WIC coupons and Elder Coupons.

This year, the market will again offer live music supported by the Groton Lecture Funds on most of the afternoons, with several musicians returning from previous years, including Kenny Selcer and Groton's own Contrabanditos. The exact schedule will be available at the barn during the first market. The farmers market is supported by a grant from the Peter E. Bertozzi Trust.

This is the ninth year of the market, which has grown steadily as more customers appreciate the benefits of locally grown food and

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want to meet the people who produce the foods they eat. Groton has a long and rich history of agriculture which the Williams Barn Committee has worked to preserve, through the restoration of the barn, silo and engine shed and through its mission of using the restored barn for the benefit of the community. Tours of the barn and walks on the surrounding trails are encouraged during the market.