Every Tuesday from late June through Labour Day, Market Square Park in downtown Parry Sound fills with the Parry Sound Summer Market. Hosted by the Parry Sound Arts & Crafts Association, the market runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 27 Mary Street, right behind the post office in the heart of town.
The stalls mix farm and craft in proper cottage-country fashion: locally grown produce, fresh baking, smoked meats and fish, maple products, original artwork, handmade jewellery, pottery, clothing and more. The association juries its vendors with a strict handmade rule — everything must be handcrafted, hand-painted or made by the person selling it — so you won’t find resold imports among the tables.
It is as much a social occasion as a shopping trip. Locals plan their Tuesday around it, cottagers stock up for the week, and visitors find souvenirs with a genuine local fingerprint. The downtown setting means you can fold the market into a bigger day: coffee on James Street, a wander through the shops, then the waterfront trail or a beach afternoon.
Arrive hungry and bring cash for the smaller vendors. Ten market days a summer, one morning a week — it is the kind of weekly ritual that makes a town feel like a town.