Mom always says you have to eat your fruits and vegetables. Mom is never wrong.

The Venture Lititz farmers market offers a way to eat fresh, farm-to-table foods and pursue a balanced diet. But the weekly event, hosted and organized by Venture Lititz, is also about supporting local businesses, getting outside and being active and embracing what it means to be from Lititz.

"The farmers market promotes healthy eating," said Venture Lititz executive director Emily Allen. "Eating healthy is very important. It's where you get your energy. It helps kids grow. It's healthier than fast foods. The farmers market is a great place to buy your stuff as you plan your meals for the week."

This year's Venture Lititz farmers market will get underway on Thursday, May 16, and run every Thursday through Oct. 17 at Lititz Springs Park, 24 N. Broad St., Lititz. Each Thursday, the festivities will start at 4 p.m. and continue until dusk.

Visitors are encouraged to bring reusable shopping bags.

"The purpose of the farmers market is to introduce folks to local vendors and give people easy access to eating healthy," said Allen. "You're supposed to stock your kitchen and decorate your home. Our mission is community, getting people together and walking around downtown. It's something for people to do. It's a way to show people the community."

The farmers market isn't limited to local growers selling fresh produce. It also features small businesses offering items like flowers, pastries, soup, granola, fermented goods, soaps, potted plants, custom jewelry, homemade breads and international cuisine.

More than 23 vendors will ply their wares throughout the season, but no more than 15 on a weekly basis.

"We try to stay as local as possible," said Allen of the market's vendors.

But it's all the periphery activities that give Venture Lititz farmers market its ambiance, its vibe.

Each week, the relaxing atmosphere of Lititz Springs Park will be enhanced by food trucks and ice cream trucks. Live music in a variety of genres will be performed by local artists.

"It's fun. It's friendly," said Allen. "It's a good chance to meet people. It's supposed to get families out and about. It's a good way to celebrate the community. It's a nice way to see Lititz from a different viewpoint, and you're supporting local businesses while you do it."

Venture Lititz's mission is to support the continued success of businesses in downtown Lititz. Toward that goal, Venture Lititz promotes and conducts five community-oriented events annually - Fire and Ice in February, the spring cleanup in April, Taste of Lititz in June, the Venture Lititz gala in October and the Apoca-Lititz 5K in October. Like those events, the farmers market is intended to bring people downtown, foster community pride and generally make Lititz a better place to play, work and live.

"Each event is totally its own thing," said Allen, a resident of Lititz who took over as Venture Lititz's executive director at the beginning of the year. "The goal for all of them is to introduce people to downtown Lititz."

For additional information about the Venture Lititz farmers market, go to http://www.lititzfarmersmarket.com.