LEWISTON — The Lewiston Farmers’ Market will celebrate National Farmers’ Market Week during Aug. 7 to 13.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has proclaimed that week as National Farmers Market Week. In celebration, the Lewiston Farmers’ Market will provide “Taste of the Market” recipes and samplings at the information booth at all three markets to give consumers ideas of the best way to prepare their fresh local food.

The following events will also be held at the Sunday, Aug. 7, Bates Mill Market from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.: music by Jan Kendall Mayes, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Art for Kids with L/A Arts and a “making your own pesto” demonstration by Cindy Tibbetts of Hummingbird Farm.

This year marks the 12th annual National Farmers Market Week. Since 2000, the number of farmers markets has grown 150 percent, from 2,863 markets to 7,175 in 2011.

The Lewiston Farmers’ Market has been running for several years, but has expanded this year to offer a larger weekend market at the Bates Mill 5 parking lot from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, with around 20 vendors selling a variety of fresh local produce, dairy, baked goods, meats and Maine made products.

In addition, there are two “stop and shop” weekday markets: Kennedy Park every Tuesday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and St. Mary’s every Wednesday from 11:30 to 2 p.m.

The goal is to provide access for the community to fresh, local, healthy food, to foster a sense of community in the Lewiston/Auburn area and to support and grow the local economy with direct to consumer sales for local farmers, producers and artisans.