By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – Beer and wine vendors will not be allowed to give out samples during the 2025 Wakefield Farmers Market season, which opens this Saturday, June 14. After discussing the matter last night, the Town Council voted 4-2 against allowing sampling of alcoholic beverages at the Farmers Market.
The board did vote unanimously to allow a new beer vendor at this year’s market, “Time and Materials Beer” of Reading. Owner Brian Shirley said that his application for a permit to sell at the Farmers Market was not contingent on sampling, although he said that he would welcome the ability to offer samples if allowed.
The Town Council first voted to grant Time and Materials Beer a permit to sell its product before taking up the issue of whether alcohol vendors would be allowed to offer samples at the Farmers Market. It was noted that in 2023, the Town Council had voted to prohibit market vendors from offering samples.
Wakefield Farmers Market board member Laurel LaRoche and assistant market manager Laura Imhoff spoke in favor of allowing sampling.
LaRoche claimed that the market recently lost a couple of adult beverage vendors due to lack of sales blamed on the inability to offer samples. LaRoche maintained that the loss of these vendors has resulted in less overall traffic at the market. She said that sampling increases sales, as customers are more likely to purchase a product if they can taste it first.
Another Farmers Market vendor, Jeff Venuti of Bliss Point Meadery, said that most other farmers markets allow sampling as part of a vendor’s license to sell beer or wine.
Imhoff claimed that several other alcoholic beverage vendors have expressed interest in joining the Wakefield Farmers Market but then declined when informed that sampling was not allowed.
Wakefield Police Chief Steven Skory was present at last night’s meeting to offer his input.
“I was here in April of 2023 to oppose sampling at the Farmers Market,” he reminded the board. “My position has not changed.”
The Police Chief said that there was no enforcement mechanism to control or limit sampling and WPD does not have the ability to have an officer present at every Saturday’s market.
Elizabeth Parsons, the Prevention, Outreach and Youth Services Manager for Wakefield’s Health and Human Services Department, also opposed allowing sampling of alcoholic beverages at the Farmers Market.
She insisted that limiting the availability of alcohol in general improves health and safety. She also raised enforcement and compliance issues.
Councilor Jonathan Chines said that he would prefer to address the issue of sampling in the context of looking at the town’s alcohol policies in general.
Town Councilor Stacey Constas favored allowing sampling at the market this season while keeping a close eye on it.
Councilor Douglas Butler accused sampling opponents of “demonizing” the issue by raising all kinds of hypothetical concerns and “what ifs.” He asserted that the board was spending more time debating Farmers Market sampling than it does on some liquor store licenses. He insisted that no vendor was going to give away enough product to get anyone intoxicated.
“Nobody’s going to be getting drunk at the Farmers Market,” he said. He wondered what was different about Wakefield, given that most other Farmers Markets allow sampling. “Why do we think that our people can’t be trusted to sample?”
Ultimately, Butler made a motion to allow beer and wine vendors to offer samples at the Farmers Market. Constas seconded the motion. The motion failed, however, with councilors Jonathan Chines, John Crisley, John Carney and Mehreen Butt opposed.