The recent heat wave that marked the beginning of summer in Northeast Pennsylvania notwithstanding, organizers of the Lackawanna Winter Market are seeking vendors for the annual holiday-season celebration held in December on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton.
The festive fête will take place Dec. 5, from 5-9 p.m.; Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 20 larger and 30 smaller vendor huts available.
Anthracite Events, which is again partnering with Lackawanna County’s Department of Arts and Culture to organize the winter market, will accept applications from creative small businesses for use of those spaces through July 11. Links to the online application form are available via the county’s website, lackawannacounty.org, and the Lackawanna Winter Market’s Facebook page.
All applications will be juried based on branding, product quality, social media presence and product exposure, according to the application, which notes all food vendors must maintain the necessary licenses and insurances to participate.
The fees for the smaller and larger vendor huts are $250 and $300, respectively. The county deployed the full complement of those huts — made by Scranton-based Reclamation Industrial Furnishings and largely funded by a state Local Share Account grant — at last year’s winter market, where they served as makeshift storefronts for vendors selling craft products, artisan goods and other unique wares.
The winter market on Courthouse Square also coincides with the annual Lackawanna County tree-lighting ceremony, the county’s popular festival of trees and more.
In the meantime, the square will play host Thursday to the annual Scrantastic Spectacular celebration on the eve of Independence Day. That free event will feature a live patriotic performance by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and a fireworks display by Zambelli Fireworks, among other offerings.