In 2024, Brunswick-Topsham land Trust received the rare opportunity to secure Dionne Farm, a beautiful and historic property at 262 Pleasant Hill Road in Brunswick, thanks to the generosity of a local resident. Since then, we’ve been hard at work actively fundraising and thoughtfully envisioning what this extraordinary place can become for our community and our mission.
Our long-term vision includes a regional hub for conservation and connection; a welcoming space for community events, workshops, and hands-on education; improved trails and outdoor gathering spaces that connect people to nature and each other and; a revitalized home for our beloved Farmers Market, supporting our local food economy. Read below to learn more about the first phase of this exciting endeavor!
Dionne Farm: The Journey Starts Here
Since its beginnings over 25 years ago, the BTLT Saturday Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm has been more than a place to purchase fresh food. From the first market days to the bustling mornings of today, the Market has always been a place to gather—a place where our community shows up not only to shop, but to connect, celebrate, learn, and feel at home.
Over the years, this special gathering has grown beyond anyone’s imagination. In a single season, it offers more than 42 local vendors an opportunity to bring their goods to market. The economic value of the market is estimated at greater than $1.7 million.
Now recognized as Maine’s Best Farmers Market for four years in a row by the American Farmland Trust, and celebrated by the Maine Legislature in multiple resolutions, our Market has become a cherished weekly ritual for over 1,500 people each Saturday at the height of summer.
Neighbors come to chat with friends, children delight in Power of Produce “POP” Club activities, vendors share stories and recipes, and people of all ages tuck away moments of joy that carry them through the week. It is, quite simply, a place where people belong.
Why We’re Moving — and What We’re Becoming
The land that has served us so well for decades can no longer hold the momentum and demand of this vibrant community centerpiece. We’ve outgrown the parking lot, the traffic flow is strained, vendors and shoppers met weekly challenges during the recent extended spring mud seasons, and the energy of our market has exceeded the limits of its current space.
Our move just across the road from where we’ve always been is rooted in a simple and powerful idea: we want to expand the opportunities to gather. And we want to do it in a way that honors the values at the heart of our work: community, connection, food, and place.
Central to this vision is the addition of a Pavilion, a welcoming, open-air structure that will transform the Market’s new home into a year-round destination for gathering, learning, and celebration.
The Pavilion
For more than 25 years, the BTLT Saturday Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm has been a place where people come together to buy fresh, local food, catch up with neighbors, discover something new, listen to music, and feel connected to the community.
As the Market has grown, so have the challenges of operating in its current location. Rather than simply finding a larger place to park vendors and shoppers, BTLT began asking a bigger question: What could the next chapter of the Farmers Market look like?
Moving the Market across the road to Dionne Farm gives us an opportunity to create a place that reflects what the Market has become and what our community has told us it could be in the future. A safer, more accessible, more comfortable, more resilient to weather, and even more connected to the land and to one another.
We know a change of this scale comes with questions. We also know that many people feel a deep connection to the Market and to the surrounding landscapes. We are committed to keeping the community informed as this next chapter takes shape.
Why is the Farmers Market moving to Dionne Farm?
After more than 25 years, the Saturday Farmers Market has outgrown the infrastructure and space available at Crystal Spring Farm.
The Market can welcome as many as 1,500 people on a Saturday and currently supports 43 vendors, with more vendors interested in participating than the existing Market green can accommodate. Parking, traffic flow, accessibility, and increasingly challenging spring mud seasons have also created difficulties for vendors and shoppers.
The decision to move isn’t just about solving today’s challenges, it is also about creating a strong foundation for the Market’s future.
Dionne Farm offers an opportunity to thoughtfully design a place where the Market can grow sustainably while preserving what people love about it: local food, familiar faces, connection, discovery, and a strong sense of community.
How did BTLT decide what the new Market should be like?
Today’s design reflects years of listening, planning, community input, professional expertise, and regulatory review.
BTLT talked with Market vendors, shoppers, volunteers, community members, and other stakeholders about what works well today, what is difficult, and what people hope to see in the future. We then worked with architects, landscape designers, engineers, parking experts, and construction partners to translate those needs and aspirations into a design that responds to Dionne Farm’s landscape, environmental considerations, and future possibilities.
The project has also completed the required Town of Brunswick planning and regulatory processes and met applicable state requirements. BTLT is working closely with OPAL Architecture, Wright-Ryan Construction, Crooker Construction, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, and Sebago Technics for this project.
What is the long-term vision for Dionne Farm?
The Farmers Market, Pavilion, and parking areas make up what we are calling ‘Phase One.’
But Phase One is only the beginning! Over time, BTLT envisions Dionne Farm becoming a regional hub for land conservation, local agriculture, outdoor education, recreation, and community connection. Future phases could include community gathering spaces, workshops and hands-on education, office and classroom spaces, improved trail connections, and new opportunities for people of all ages to connect with the environment.
The vision is to create a place that brings BTLT’s mission to life through the land, through learning, through agriculture, and through community.
When will the Farmers Market move?
The 2026 Farmers Market season will continue at Crystal Spring Farm as usual.
Construction on Phase One began in August 2026 and will continue through the fall. We hope to welcome the Saturday Farmers Market to its new home at Dionne Farm in 2027, following completion of Phase One.
What will be different about the new Market?
The new Market green has been designed to give people more room to move, gather, linger, and connect. It will accommodate 10 additional vendor booths, supporting even more local farmers, makers, and bakers, while creating more space for accessibility, mobility, lines, and circulation.
The new site will also include:
- A multi-season Pavilion for music, performances, educational activities, workshops, demonstrations, and gathering;
- Benches and picnic tables where people can sit, rest, eat, and spend time together;
- Approximately 140 parking spaces, including more accessible parking, compared with approximately 111 currently available at Crystal Spring Farm;
- Separate bicycle, shopper vehicle, and vendor access, creating clearer and safer movement to and from the site;
- Improved traffic circulation and drop-off/pick-up areas;
- More bike racks;
- Shopper parking that will be open before the Market begins each Saturday, reducing the need for vehicles to park along Pleasant Hill Road; and
- Native plantings, landscape features, and stormwater management designed to retain the rural character and ecological integrity of the landscape.
Will there be more vendor booths?
Yes! The new Market Green will accommodate 10 additional vendor booths beyond what can currently fit at Crystal Spring Farm, with room for future growth.
More space also means more breathing room for vendors, shoppers, lines, accessibility, circulation, and gathering. That gives the Market an opportunity to grow without losing the welcoming, community-oriented experience that people value today.
What will parking be like? And what about bicycles?
We know that getting to the Market, and getting home again, is an important part of the experience.
Phase One includes approximately 140 parking spaces, including more accessible spaces. The design includes intentional pedestrian pathways and separate bicycle and vehicle access to make it easier and safer for people to move through the site. There is also a separate entrance for vendor vehicles for them to enter and exit safely.
Approximately one-third of the parking area will be paved, and approximately two-thirds will be turf. Most of the parking is intended for seasonal Market use, while the permanent paved area will provide year-round infrastructure for other future uses of the property.
Perhaps most importantly for Market mornings, shopper parking will be open before the Market begins each Saturday, reducing the need for parking along Pleasant Hill Road.
We hope you’ll give the new layout a try! Whether you arrive by bicycle or car, our goal is to make getting to the Market feel safer, easier, and less stressful.
Why does the project include paved parking?
Most of the parking area will not be paved. Approximately one-third of the 140 spaces will be paved, while approximately two-thirds will be turf and used primarily for seasonal Market parking.
The smaller paved area serves a broader purpose. It provides year-round infrastructure that can support future uses of Dionne Farm, while the turf parking allows the site to accommodate the large number of vehicles generated by the Saturday Market without creating a large permanent paved parking lot.
This approach is also intended to reduce the need for Market parking along Pleasant Hill Road.
Throughout the site design, BTLT has sought to balance people’s needs with the land’s character and ecological qualities. Native plantings, landscape features, and a stormwater management system support that effort.
What is the Pavilion?
Imagine having a place at the Market where you can pause, listen to music, meet a friend, watch a demonstration, or simply sit down and enjoy what you’ve just bought to eat!
The Pavilion will be a multi-season, open-air, sheltered gathering space designed to expand what the Market can offer. During Market hours, it could provide space for music and performances, cooking demonstrations, educational activities, seating, and community connection.
And its possibilities extend beyond Saturdays. The Pavilion could support year-round outdoor classrooms, environmental education space, seasonal celebrations, community events, pop-up markets, workshops, and other programs.
Our hope is that the Pavilion helps Dionne Farm become more than a place people visit just once a week, but a place where community happens throughout the year.
Will there be trail access at Dionne Farm?
Yes! Continued trail access is part of the vision for Dionne Farm and its connection to BTLT’s broader network of protected lands and public trails. As plans develop, we’ll share more about how trails and other opportunities for recreation and connection to the land become part of this space.
What is happening with the buildings?
The existing buildings are part of the longer-term vision for Dionne Farm. Future plans envision them supporting BTLT’s conservation, stewardship, environmental education, agriculture, and community work. Possibilities include office space, classrooms and educational spaces, and places for workshops, events, and public programs.
The future use of the buildings is still being developed. We want to take the time to understand what will best serve both BTLT’s mission and the community. We’ll share more as those plans become clearer.
What will happen to the current Market Green and parking areas at Crystal Spring Farm?
The Farmers Market will continue operating at Crystal Spring Farm through the 2026 season and into the 2027 season.
We know Crystal Spring Farm has been an important part of the Market’s story and of many people’s Saturday morning routines. The future of the current Market green and parking areas is part of BTLT’s broader planning for the property and has not yet been fully determined.
As those plans develop, we’ll share more with the community.
Trailhead parking for the Crystal Spring Farm South trails will remain open.
Will there be a flower garden at Dionne Farm?
We have heard strong interest from community members in continuing to have a flower garden at Dionne Farm, and we understand why that matters to people.
The former flower garden was maintained by a previous tenant of the home who moved out before the property was sold. The possibility of a future flower garden remains open.
The exact location and design will depend on the final site details and the property’s other future uses. We are keeping the possibility in the conversation as the larger vision for Dionne Farm develops.
How much is the project costing?
Phase One—the new Market green, Pavilion, and parking areas—represents an initial investment of approximately $2.4 million.
This effort has been supported through business sponsorships, individual donors, grants, and a substantial line of credit from a private individual.
This is an investment in the future of Dionne Farm and in BTLT’s ability to create a place where agriculture, conservation, education, recreation, and community can come together. If you’d like to help make that future possible, please consider becoming a BTLT member today!
How can I learn more or get involved?
This is a community project, and we want the community to be part of the journey. BTLT will continue sharing updates, photos, project information, and opportunities to learn more as Dionne Farm takes shape.
During the 2026 season, stop by the Market Move information booth at the Saturday Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm to ask questions and learn more.
You can also sign up for BTLT’s monthly e-newsletter to receive updates.
We are excited about what is ahead and we look forward to creating the next chapter of the Farmers Market with you.
