A new season of the Mixon Farms Market begins Sunday, Sept. 27, bringing local farmers, makers and small businesses to one of Manatee County’s most historic agricultural properties.
The market will be held every Sunday from Sept. 27, 2026, through May 30, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mixon Farms, 2525 27th St. E. in Bradenton.
Vendors are expected to offer produce, art, coffee, baked goods, meat, eggs and poultry, jewelry, soaps and body-care products, candles, plants and other locally produced items. The market also plans to feature yoga, local farms, music and additional activities.
The weekly market represents a new chapter for a property with roots stretching back more than eight decades.
Mixon Fruit Farms began in 1939 when Willie and Rosa Mixon established a small fruit stand near their Bradenton property. Rosa and the couple’s six children also loaded fruit into a truck and sold it to visitors at the Dixie Grande Hotel in downtown Bradenton. Willie, who worked caring for area citrus groves, eventually left his other employment to concentrate on the family’s farm.
The operation grew substantially over the following decades. The Mixons consolidated their property and constructed the first portion of the farm’s main building in 1959. At its height, the family’s citrus groves covered about 350 acres. By the operation’s processing and shipping peak in 1992, Mixon Fruit Farms was processing roughly 400,000 boxes of citrus and preparing about 250,000 gift packages for shipment, according to Manatee County’s history of the property.
The farm eventually became much more than a citrus operation. Generations of Manatee County families knew Mixon’s for its fruit and orange juice, orange-and-vanilla swirl ice cream, gift shop and citrus shipping business. Later additions included grove tours, a play area, wildlife attractions, a restaurant and spaces for weddings and community events.
Dean and Janet Mixon took over the family operation in 2006 and expanded its tourism and event offerings as Florida’s citrus industry faced challenges that included disease and declining production. After 84 years, the retail operation closed on July 29, 2023.
The property’s story did not end with the closing. In July 2025, the Manatee County Commission approved the $13.5 million purchase of approximately 39 acres of the former farm. County plans have focused on preserving the site’s agricultural heritage while creating opportunities for community events, outdoor education, agriculture programs and potential future library and park uses.
Manatee County introduced the Mixon Farms Market in March 2026 as part of that effort, initially holding markets monthly. The new fall season expands the concept to a weekly Sunday market, according to the event announcement.
The market is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Sunday through May 30. Businesses interested in becoming vendors can contact marketsbydev@gmail.com.
The return of regular community activity to Mixon Farms connects the property’s new county-owned chapter with a tradition that began with a roadside fruit stand in 1939 — keeping the historic Bradenton property centered on agriculture, local businesses and community gatherings.
