The John Jay Homestead Farm Market has stopped being a market visiting downtown Katonah. It now lives there, and it will for years. The Record-Review reported in August that the restoration at John Jay Homestead is expected to continue through 2029. Organizers also confirmed the market will stay in the village for at least the next three seasons. Since the move, the market has been drawing more people than it did on the estate. It is also turning into the place where Katonah's civic groups show up every Saturday morning.
Below: what is being rebuilt up on Route 22, what has changed about the market in Lot 2, and the six Saturdays left in the 2026 season.
What Is Happening to Bedford House
The Homestead's main house, Bedford House, is closed. So are all of the outbuildings. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation published a public bid notice on June 29, 2026. It lays out how big the job is: a new wood-shingle roof, masonry and structural repairs, interior and exterior restoration, new electrical, HVAC, fire and security systems, and outdoor work on paths, gardens, heritage trees, site lighting and wayfinding.
The engineer's estimate for the base bid in that notice runs from $16,365,991 to $22,142,223. A 2025 project presentation, covered by the Record-Review, described a planned $30 million state investment. Private money is also involved. Friends of John Jay Homestead say their donors have paid to buy or reproduce historic interior finishings, as part of a $1 million commitment to support the state's restoration.
The timeline has moved, so it helps to see each forecast next to the others:
| Source | What it said about timing |
|---|---|
| Record-Review, May 2025 | Construction to begin in 2026, with completion and reopening in 2027 |
| State bid notice, June 2026 | Work to finish 550 days after the State Comptroller approves the contract; bids were due August 13, 2026 |
| Record-Review, August 2026 | Restoration expected to continue through 2029 |
As of mid-October 2026, we haven't found any public confirmation of which contractor won the prime contract, or a firm reopening date for Bedford House. The 550-day clock in the bid notice doesn't start until a contract is approved. That makes the 2029 figure from the August reporting the best public guide right now, not a promise. It also explains why the market's organizers are planning around multiple seasons in town.
Why the Market Ended Up on Katonah Avenue
The market first moved to Lot 2 for the 2025 season, when the state historic site closed for major improvements. The organizers set up the move with the Katonah Chamber of Commerce. In the Homestead's 2025 announcement, Chamber chair Casey Carter described the market as adding energy to downtown.
This year is the market's 16th season, and it's back in the same place: Lot 2 at 190 Katonah Avenue, every Saturday from May 2 through November 21, rain or shine. Traffic in the lot runs one way, with marked entrance and exit points, and there's extra parking along Katonah Avenue.
Bigger Crowds, Shorter Visits
The Record-Review's August story on the market's second season downtown had the attendance numbers. Caroline MacGill, executive director of Friends of John Jay Homestead, told the paper that the market "might be averaging about 1,000 visitors a weekend at the Homestead." In town this year, she said, it could be north of 1,200 to 1,300, and she recalled "a record-breaking 1,500." Market manager Frank Erlanger credited the growth to longtime Homestead shoppers sticking with the market after the move, plus new shoppers finding it downtown.
Vendors in the same article said the location helps. Francisco Olivo of Pickle Licious, a longtime vendor known for pickled vegetables, said that on a main street "everybody's going to drive past it eventually." Jeff Rowe of Orchard Hill Organics put it more briefly: "Collections are up." The paper also reported that shoppers have found parking easier and the market more walkable and accessible.
The way people shop has changed too. MacGill described the difference this way in the Record-Review:
"At the Homestead, people kind of make a lunch out of it, make an afternoon out of it, and stay longer. Their kids play in the play spaces, they run around and see the chickens. In town, people are pretty efficient about their shopping."
Rowe told the paper that the Homestead's historic barns, open fields and mature trees made an atmosphere that's hard to recreate anywhere else. MacGill said the Friends plan more beautification work so the downtown site feels more welcoming.
So more people come, and each visit is shorter. The Record-Review also noted that many shoppers stop at local businesses before or after browsing the vendors. A Saturday stop now runs into the rest of the village in a way it couldn't when the market sat at the end of a driveway off Route 22.
The Lot Has Become Katonah's Saturday Meeting Point
The move has also changed who shows up besides farmers. Erlanger told the Record-Review that being downtown has made the market more visible to community groups, and that Bedford 2030, KVIS, the Katonah Museum of Art and the Katonah Fire Department have all appeared at the market so far.
Two programs this year give that civic role a regular slot:
- Rev Up 250. The Homestead says the 2026 market hosts a weekly Rev Up 250 coalition tent on local history and civic engagement, tied to the nation's 250th anniversary. The Town of Bedford's coalition roster, which it describes as still "in formation," lists Friends of John Jay Homestead, the Bedford Historical Society, the Bedford Hills Historical Museum, the Katonah Historic Museum, three local libraries and the Katonah Museum of Art.
- FEED x John Jay. Shoppers can buy a limited-edition tote or donate FEED Bucks. FEED Bucks buy produce straight from market vendors, which then goes out through the Community Center of Northern Westchester and The Pantry. The Friends tent at the market sells a $42 vanilla FEED tote, and part of the proceeds supports neighbors in need.
MacGill told the Record-Review that the market is one way the community, "through a public-private partnership, can express the farming values of the Homestead." She also explained why it's called a "Farm Market" and not a farmers market: the name ties back to John Jay's agricultural history.
The Six Saturdays Left in 2026
Counting from today, October 11, these are the market days left in the season, all 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
- Saturday, October 17. That evening, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Katonah Museum of Art holds a first-look event for Intermittent Islands: Four Caribbean Women Artists, with work by Belkis Ayón, Yanira Collado, Marielle Plaisir and Lisa C Soto. The galleries reopen to the public on Sunday, October 18.
- Saturday, October 24. NY State Parks lists a free National Abolition Hall of Fame induction event at John Jay Homestead from 10 to 11 a.m. Registration is required, and the listing also mentions events in Peterboro, so check the on-site format with the organizer.
- Saturday, October 31. Halloween falls on a market day this year.
- Saturday, November 7.
- Saturday, November 14.
- Saturday, November 21. This is the last market of the extended 2026 season.
A few other dates fall in the same weeks. The night before the KMA preview, on Friday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m., Caramoor's Rosen House Concert Series presents Bandits on the Run in the Music Room. Tickets are listed from $55, and there's a complimentary wine-and-cheese reception an hour before. The Katonah Village Library has a Bedford Audubon talk on shrubland restoration on Wednesday, October 21, and Halloween Trivia Night on Wednesday, October 28. These are live calendar listings, so check them again before you go.
A Few Practical Details for Lot 2
- Members shop first. Members of Friends of John Jay Homestead get first pick from 9 to 9:30 a.m. before the market opens to everyone.
- The vendor list comes on Fridays. The market doesn't post a fixed roster. It emails that Saturday's vendors every Friday morning to its newsletter subscribers.
- Dogs are welcome on short leashes. The market cites the changed setting and asks owners to keep dogs away from vendor stalls and products.
- The Homestead grounds are still open. Even with the buildings closed, NY State Parks lists the grounds as open free from sunrise to sunset, with seasonal hiking.
The market is expected to go back to John Jay Homestead once the restoration is finished. Until then, MacGill told the Record-Review, "We're really trying to keep the spirit of the Homestead alive in the community."
If you're in Lot 2 on a Saturday and the conversation turns to what's changing around Katonah, I'm always happy to talk it through over coffee, whether you're curious or starting to plan your own next step. Sami Vecchiolla has spent a lifetime in northern Westchester and loves a good local question. Let's Connect.
