Spring has indeed sprung. Flowers are blooming, lawnmowers are buzzing and area farmers' markets are opening their doors. Tower Grove Farmers’ Market and Bazaar is kicking off the 2010 season this Saturday morning. More than 50 food and art vendors are on the lineup, including newcomers Diamond M Farm and Freeland Vegetable & Berry. 

While you’re shopping for some locally grown spinach or organic strawberries, grab some freshly roasted coffee and relax on the pavilion stairs. You’ll be entertained with live music and great people watching. For a special treat stop by the Baetje Farms tent. They make heart-shaped goat cheese that melts in your mouth. To. Die. For. Try one of their samples and you’ll be hooked.

But the food and art are just a part of the reason why people love the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. If you get to the park by 9 a.m., grab a spot under a tree and enjoy a free outdoor community yoga class. Sat Inder Singh Kalsa (formerly Keith Mitchell) leads scores of yogis on an hour-long bender. A freewill offering is collected at the end.

While you’re rocking plank pose, have the hubby take the kids to the two recently renovated playgrounds. There is one for the younger set with smaller equipment and a separate one for the bigger kids. Over the past few years, they have been outfitted with new play structures, new surfaces and child-friendly fencing.

After Memorial Day, the wading pool and Muckerman Children’s Fountain open up for the season. Kids love running through the curtain of water streaming over the large central water bowl or just kicking around in the wading pool. It’s the perfect way to get some relief from the summer sun.

Visit www.tgmarket.org for a complete list of vendors and hours of operation. Click here to see a list of all the farmers' markets on the Missouri side, as published last week by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or follow this link for those on the Illinois side.

By Andrea Wilson, Events Blogger for SmartParenting