ELIZABETH BORST was interested in opening a weekday farmers market in Spotsylvania County when the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center made her an offer.

Borst, the Spotsylvania Farmers Market manager, could use the hospital's parking lot on Wednesdays and it would help promote the new market.

"That connection between healthy food and community health is very important," she said. "I think this is a very good way to demonstrate that."

The market will hold its grand opening at 3 p.m. May 16. Matt Lohr, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will be the keynote speaker.

"We really want folks from Massaponax to come out," Borst said. "We know people will only travel so far for a farmers market, and by going to them, we'll meet a lot of folks' needs."

The new market will have about 16 vendors, including Mount Olympus Farm in Ruther Glen and Westmoreland Berry Farm in Oak Grove. It will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sept. 26.

Spotsylvania's other farmers market, which opened last Saturday at the commuter lot on Gordon Road, will have several new vendors this year as well. They include the Abner Butterfield Ice Cream Co., which will be selling locally made frozen treats in such flavors as banana, black cherry and honey mead vanilla.

Spotsylvania's new location and new vendors are among a number of different offerings on tap this year for Fredericksburg-area farmers markets, most of which opened last weekend or will open soon.

The Fredericksburg Farmers Market, for example, added several new vendors when it opened last Saturday along two sides of Hurkamp Park.

Among them are Everona Dairy in Rapidan, which is known for its award-winning sheep's milk cheeses; Sweet Valley Farm Dairy in Elkwood, which makes fresh farm cheese; and Walnut Hills Farm at Elm Spring in Sumerduck, which sells grass-fed beef, lamb and pork, as well as free-range chicken, duck, goose and heritage turkeys. Several bakeries, including Bella Buttercream in Spotsylvania, are participating as well.

"We're pushing to get a milk vendor," said Gayle Price, one of the Fredericksburg Farmers Market's two managers. "Our primary goal is to make this a one-stop shop where people can get great seafood, meat, bread, butter and cheese. There's no need to schlep anywhere else to get your groceries."