The Griffith Central Market returned to Central Park for its weekly run on Friday, May 10, and will continue every Friday until September 13th.Beginning at 4 pm and ending at 10 pm, there’s plenty of time for students, parents, and all citizens of Griffith to enjoy the Central Market’s goods and musicians.

The market has been going strong for six years, and always with positivity from workers and customers alike, but the main appeal to many of the Central Market is the variety of vendors. From jewelry to food, local people from all around Lake County gather in the Central Market.

Maria Villaruel of Juju’s Ice Cream and Snacks, located in Griffith, is one of these vendors who struck their claim at the market, and says it helped get exposure for their shop.

“This is our first time at the market. It’s been an adventure. You get to meet a lot of people and grow your business,” Villaruel said, “but the business’ main goal is to satisfy customers who enjoy the products.”

Karen Somerton of Lucky Lotto Jewelry, a returning vendor to the Central Market and of other festivals around Lake County, states how the Central Market is unique: “Farmers markets are generally smaller and more community based than the larger festivals I’ve been to, but this is not a farmer’s market, this is Central Market,” Somerton said.

Besides the vendors, another big draw of the central market is the music. Local musicians play within the pavilion at the center of Central, with the most recent market featuring guitarists Doug and Karen Lins of Hot Sauce and local band Caught on Cline. Students like sophomore Kyle Rassel see the music as another way for the community to bond, ”I feel like the music brings Griffith together, something about how they’re just regular people playing for more regular people,” said Rassel.

The Central Market will be back next Friday, and will bring the expected variety of vendors, budding local musicians, and sense of community that is felt every Friday during a summer in Griffith.