Newtown Farmers Market made its grand return for its outdoor season on the grounds of Fairfield Hills Campus, opening on Tuesday, June 17.

Since its debut at Fairfield Hills in 2010, Newtown Farmers Market has been a platform for local farmers and artisan food producers to sell their goods to Newtown and area residents. Sponsored by Newtown Parks and Recreation, the market will be open every Tuesday from 2-6:30 pm until October.

People near and far attended opening day and helped themselves to organic vegetables, locally-raised meats, bread, jams, eggs, coffee, and more.

Andrea Saunders, who is one of the four Market Masters who help run the event, said opening day went well and how nice it was to see people from Newtown and the surrounding area.

"Families, kids, everyone of all ages and their dogs [showed up] even though it was overcast," Saunders said. "It was a pretty good turnout, so we were pretty happy about that."

Several new and returning vendors are in the lineup for this year's outdoor season.

One of these new vendors is Cows Around the Corner, which sells different yogurts and cheeses. Saunders said it was a treat watching several guests line up on opening day to sample their wide variety of fresh cheeses.

Another new vendor is Beardsley Zoo Botanicals, a nonprofit that sells plants they have propagated and has its sales go to support Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo.

Returning vendor Bee's Knees Ice Pops is back after several years away from the farmers market to sell natural popsicles with no additives. Despite the overcast weather on opening day, Saunders said she caught several people walking away from that stand with popsicles.

These are only some of many vendors that Saunders said she and her fellow Market Masters are excited for this year.

Newtown Farmers Market will also have some visiting vendors eventually stop by throughout the season. One vendor who occasionally visits is Wonderland Jam, which sells handcrafted jams and fruit syrups.

Saunders said she and others are are also hoping to bring in a few artisans who will rotate over the course of the season. They are still waiting for final Town approval on that, she added.

A small bump in the road came when Newtown Farmers Market cancelled its June 24 Farmers Market due to an extreme heat advisory, as well as concerns from multiple vendors.

The choice came easy for Saunders and her fellow Market Masters, as they wanted to make sure attending vendors and townspeople were safe.

“We don't want to put anyone at any kind of risk," she said this week. "Even though we know there are people who love getting their favorite things every week, we want people to stay safe and cool.”

A former vendor herself, Saunders said she continues to stay involved with the Farmers Market because she simply loves everything about it.

"The atmosphere, the people, the amazing products they bring, it's all unique," Saunders said. "You can't not love the farmers market."

The farmers market has become a family activity for Saunders. When her kids do not join her, they eagerly look forward to what she might bring home.

"There's just always something to look forward to from the market," Saunders said.

To learn more about Newtown Farmers Market, visit facebook.com/farmersmarketatfairfieldhills, call 203-841-6864, or email newtownmarketmasters@gmail.com.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.