Tift Park Community Market's 13th season underway

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*The Tift Park Community Market has been bringing crafts and fun to the historic park for 12 years. Market hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. each Saturday through the end of October.* *File Photo*

ALBANY – Each year the Tift Park Community Market blooms in the spring, and this year is no exception for the seasonal gathering spot sponsored by Friends of Tift Park.

The 13th season for the market is underway, with weekly opportunities to get out and see what’s being offered by local and area vendors.

Located at 1301 N. Monroe St., the market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 2026 season ends on Halloween Day.

“It’s really a big time for everybody,” Friends’ President Stephen Brimberry said of the opening. “Our first month we had the Evergreen Family Band. We’re going to try to have live music at least (once) every month.

“Our mission is to preserve, promote and protect our historic Tift Park. I think we’ve done a good job.”

On Saturdays, individuals looking for a weekend outing from near and far can find merchandise for sale, including hand-made jewelry, baked goods and fresh produce.

Currently, the market is ranked No. 1 on Tripadvisor’s things to do in Albany as well as the site’s list of cheap things to do in the city.

The Friends group has been advocating for years for the city of Albany to invest in the park, and that is finally becoming reality with the first phase of investment in the Tift Park in some time. In September 2025, the Albany City Commission approved a $131,850 contract for the design of four pickleball courts, a dog park, restrooms and a parking lot.

The costs for those improvements will be nowhere near the cost of other multimillion-dollar projects at some city community centers, Brimberry said.

“We keep on hoping for the improvements to come around,” he said. “We’re hoping Phase 1 is the excitement and movement we need. We’re going to try to play off of pickleball and maybe host some tournaments.

“We don’t need an $8.5 million anything. We just need signage … things you see in a park.”

Also planned for this season are animal adoption opportunities through Covey Hill Animal Rescue, which also is accepting items for dogs, and a walk to raise awareness of necrotizing enterocolitis.

“We don’t charge for set-up, and we have a booth with a cause,” Brimberry said.