09/04/2026
Hello Market Friends and Michigan Music Lovers! Find us Every Saturday 9-12 at the Wagoner Center.
Last week's Market Tote trivia answer: The band was M-23 Strings — Paul Kirchner, Kurt Westie, Marlene Wood, and William Apostol (Billy Strings). First person to tell us the answer at the Manistee market booth this Saturday gets a free market tote!
Market Music Memories: On June 30, 2012, a young musician named William Apostol — aka Billy Strings — played the Homegrown Music Stage at the Manistee Farmers Market for the first time with his friends in M-23 Strings, making a little Manistee music history.
All season, in honor of our 25th silver season, we're celebrating memories from the market's journey — the ups, the downs, and the joy of this community.
Back in 2012, Paul Kirchner — Michigan's own Bluegrass and Banjo Man — had just formed M-23 Strings in Traverse City, and Billy Strings played his very first farmers market gig with the group. The band went on to release their album New Highways later that year.
The story goes that Paul picked Billy up early that morning after a midnight shift at a Traverse City resort. By the time they reached the market, Billy was still trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep in the backseat — until Paul strapped the guitar on him and the band hit the Homegrown Stage at 9am sharp. The sound that filled the air that morning is still remembered fondly today.
Manistee has seen many chapters of music history since, and there are more to come. Since 2002, the market has supported local homegrown music alongside our farmers and artisans — and at 25 seasons strong, that spirit is very much alive.
That day, a young man came to the market as William Apostol and left as Billy Strings.
Billy — congrats on the journey, and thank you for the music, then and now.
From all of us at the Manistee Farmers Market: Strum On.
Local. Food. Art. Live Music — let's keep speaking Mother Nature's universal languages.
