The bright red sign is up and vendors of the Milwaukee Public Market's Seasonal Outdoor Farmers' Market are ready for some action this weekend. July 16 marks the grand opening of the outdoor section of the market, featuring 19 vendors along Water Street stocked with locally grown organic fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, herbs, Wisconsin specialty foods, frozen Piedmontese beef, poultry, prepared ethnic specialties and baked goods.

Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker kick off the two-day debut event at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, and with the crow of the official Market rooster, the festivities commence.

The first 100 visitors on both days will receive giveaways, and all patrons are invited to hourly, sneak preview tours of the permanent indoor structure, lead by the market's project leaders. The Celtic-influenced Milwaukee band Frogwater will perform 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Besides the selection of goods from vendors such as John Maney Farms, Yuppie Hill Poultry and Lopez Bakery, visitors can check out cooking demonstrations and taste samples of the finished products. Among others, Troy Withington of Sushi-A-Go-Go will demonstrate coconut shrimp on the grill on Saturday and Dave Jurena of The Soup Market will demonstrate gazpacho on Sunday.

The Farmers' Market runs Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 13. "We are a seasonal farmers' market, so as the seasons change, so does the selection," said Marketing Director Rebekah K. Schaefer.

The market provides opportunities for independent, locally-owned businesses to sell fresh foods that they've grown themselves.

"Buying local supports regional agriculture and tastes better because it's fresher," said Project Leader, Wendy K. Baumann. "When you buy local, you have the opportunity to connect with farmers and producers, so you know exactly where your food is coming from. The Milwaukee Public Market's goal is to nurture that interaction in support of small businesses that offer unique products and expertise."

The indoor, 23-vendor permanent market will open in late summer or early fall. They currently have 18 spaces occupied, and Schaefer says they'd like to fill as many spots as possible to ensure a strong opening. "However," she said, "we figured that we can open the farmers' market now while the produce is still in season."

The Milwaukee Public Market's Web site is milwaukeepublicmarket.org.