TELLURIDE – For many local foodies, summertime has officially arrived when the Telluride Farmers Market comes to town. With canvas shopping bags slung over their shoulders, market aficionados partake in summer’s bounty with a trip to Oak Street every Friday afternoon.

Shoppers will notice a scattering of new booths to the market this year, which opened June 15, but a closer look reveals even more changes to the beloved community event. The market has undergone an organizational overhaul in hopes of making the weekly event more welcoming and user-friendly for vendors as well as the public.

“The intent is that the concerns of both the vendors and the public are being met,” said new Telluride Farmers Market coordinator Bryan Bebb. One change the market’s 35 vendors have already seen is the reduction in price to rent a space; growers, ranchers, bakers, herbal medicine-makers, artisans, and craftsmen now pay 65 percent less than what it cost last summer to rent a booth.

“It allows for a bigger profit margin, which makes it much more affordable to come here,” said Brett Walter, who owns Fox Fire Farm near Durango with wife Bronwen. The Walters have been selling their lamb products at the market since its inception in 2002.

The market has also become less regimented when it comes to vendor rules and regulations. Gone are the days when sellers faced penalty fees for selling much sought-after organic eggs five minutes before the market’s official opening.

“The market is trying to grow a community, and handing out fines and fees is not the way to support a community,” Bebb explained. “In general, the adjustments in policies were made to support a friendlier market.” He added that the reduction in fees will hopefully help offset the high gasoline prices vendors from around the region are hit with in their commute to Telluride every week.

Bebb took over as head organizer of the Telluride Farmers Market late this spring, replacing market founder M’lissa Story. When Story opted not to continue running the market due to complications in renewing its permit, local grower Kris Holstrom and her organization, Tomten Institute, stepped in to assure the future of the Farmers Market for the 2007. Bebb, who had worked as an assistant at the market for Holstrom’s Tomten Farm and Norwood’s Indian Ridge Farm, volunteered to fill the position. He can be found at the market’s organizer booth every Friday to answer questions and field comments and concerns.

The structural changes have been mostly welcomed by the market’s nearly 30 returning vendors.

“There seems to be more vendor participation in decisions, which I didn’t feel was going on before,” said David James of James Ranch, an all-natural beef ranch near Durango.

Like every year, this season’s Farmers Market has welcomed a slew of new vendors who bring fresh energy to the event. Drangonfly Farms now offers herbs and teas, Rancho Durazno brings fruit from Palisade, True Blue Chocolates has scrumptious treats, and local Susan Turner serves up her Killer Kabobs. New vendors Scott Horner and Sharon Humphreys, owners of Rocky Mountain Bound in Durango, are artisan bookmakers who sell handmade, 100 percent recycled paper books, journals, photo albums, and more.

“It’s been a great turnout with wonderful people, and the market has a good variety of products,” Horner said.

Bebb has plans to add even more variety to the market, based on customer feedback. “I’m always looking for more input from customers about what they want at the market,” he said. “It helps me decide who the new vendors should be.”

There has also been talk of moving the Telluride market to a more trafficked area in town and opening a sister market in Mountain Village. Organizers are also exploring the possibility of shifting the market from a nonprofit organization to a co-op.

“We’re looking at a number of options to make the market more inclusive, as well as get more selling exposure for our vendors,” Bebb said.

The Telluride Farmers Market, which showcases organic fruit and vegetables from regional growers, arts, crafts, jewelry, herbal medicine, all natural meat and cheese products, flowers, and more, opens every Friday at noon on Oak Street. To contact event organizer Bebb, email telluridefarmersmarket@gmail.com.