(Joplin, MO) – On Saturday, August 8, the Joplin Empire Market will host Pepper Fest, a celebration of summer produce, as the kickoff to National Farmers Market Week. The event will be held during the regular market hours of 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at their facility at 931 E. 4th Street.
Highlights include:
- The Hot Head Challenge. Taste your way up the Scoville Units chart with local and exotic hot sauces. If you reach the hottest, you get a Hot Head certificate and all the respect. Compliments of the Purple Chin Condiment Co.
- Fresh pepper roasting courtesy of Oakwoods Farm. Choose from a variety of locally grown hot and sweet peppers and have them fire-roasted while you wait.
- The Pepper Fest Cantina, courtesy of The Area Agency on Aging Region X. They’ll be selling chips and fresh salsa as well as tequila-inspired mocktails and a Carbliss Premium Vodka cocktail tasting as part of a fundraiser for their organization. Be sure to try yours before they sell out. Thank you to Macadoodles and Carbliss for supporting this event.
- A gourmet food selection including pupusas, brunch burritos, salsas, tasty Thai food, and a verity of farm-fresh produce like watermelon, tomatoes, and, of course, peppers. There will also be baked goods, eggs, ice creams, wines, and so much more.
- Fun for the whole family! Guests can expect a chili pepper photo booth set up as well as a Color-a-Pepper station for kids, all free of charge.
The market halls will be bursting with summer produce and the Empire Market’s creative vendors will be going all out with pepper-themed goodies to celebrate National Farmers Market Week, an annual celebration of farmers markets proclaimed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and coordinated by the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC). This membership-based nonprofit organization supports farmers markets nationwide through training, technical assistance, and network-building. Each year, FMC’s National Farmers Market Week Campaign highlights the vital role farmers markets play within our nation’s local food systems. For more than 50 years, farmers markets have influenced the way Americans eat, shop, and connect to their food, their farmers, and one another. Farmers markets are more than market places; they are places where neighbors learn, grow, and work together.
National Farmers Market Week is also the perfect time to give to the ongoing campaign to help support and grow the Empire Market. Here are just a few ways that the community has supported the Market’s growth over the last year:
- Monthly vendor sales are up an average of 63% per month in 2026 compared to 2025.
- Produce vendors have doubled, ensuring a stock of beautiful produce at all market days.
- Nearly twice as many people attended Paris Week 2026 compared to 2025.
With the opening of the Jane and Bunny Newton Community Kitchen, Empire Market is now a destination for culinary delicacies: Thai curries, quiche, brisket tacos, empanadas, pupusas, and more are staple of an Empire Market lunchtime. Your support of the Market’s mission has made this possible.
Your help is needed to keep growing at this pace. Vendor space is getting tighter, the Market is housed in a historic building with specific needs, and it’s nearing peak season. Donate to the campaign today to help keep the Empire Market growing. Learn more and donate here.
About Downtown Joplin Alliance:
Downtown Joplin Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of the downtown community as a thriving, safe and attractive center of art, history, enterprise, commerce, culture, residence and entertainment. Downtown Joplin is host to many monthly, seasonal, and annual events designed to encourage community involvement and stimulate the local economy.
Reference:
Leann Halsey, Market Manager
Downtown Joplin Alliance
417.501.9649
leann@downtownjoplin.com
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