Photo: Select Board’s Carol Berberian cutting the ribbon to open the 21st season of the Belmont Farmers Market

With the official opening of the Belmont Farmers Market on Thursday, June 4, Town Moderator Adam Dash declared, “It’s now officially summer in Belmont.” No truer words could have been spoken.

The day saw 90 degree temperatures under a cloudless sky that had vendors dousing themselves with water and some patrons placing their overheated smart phones on ice as the heat played havoc with humans and machines.

But the conditions did not thwart patrons from flocking to Belmont Center on the first market day of the season. While produce stalls are still weeks away from trucking in the first harvest of vegetables and fruits, vendors did a brisk business selling baked and cooked goods, meat, fish, and beer. The day included music, kids story time with the Belmont Public Library, and information on food security.

“After five months of planning, it’s great to finally be doing,” said Hal Shubin, chairman of the market, at the opening ceremony. The Farmers Market is part of the Belmont Food Collaborative, a nonprofit umbrella organization that includes Belmont Composts, Belmont Helps, Belmont Food Pantry, and Community Gardening. A large component of the Collaborative’s mission is in support of food security.

“A recent report shows that 40 percent of the households in Massachusetts doesn’t always have enough food. Think about what that means for your family,” said Shubin, who pointed out the market started its food assistance program in 2011, raising more than a quarter million dollars in extra money for individuals to buy healthy local food and to support area food banks.

The market also promotes children being involved in the market with its POP Club which allows members $3 a week to purchase produce of their choice.

Among the speakers at the opening was Liza Bemis, a fifth-generation farmer and co-owner of Hutchins Farm, a historic 112-acre organic farm located in Concord that has been a vendor since 2008. She spoke of the importance of the state’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) in which SNAP/EBT users are provided extra funds – depends on their household size – to purchase fresh, local fruits and vegetables from participating Massachusetts farmers markets.

“The immediacy of the impact from the HIP program really surprised me,” said Bemis after her operation was certified by the state.

“I had no idea there was such a need in the greater Belmont community, and how many folks wanted to be customers, but hadn’t been able to access our produce. As other farmers became HIP certified, and the program grew in recognition, it was amazing to see how this program could impact both customers and farmers. It was a textbook win-win program, how to get more fresh food into customers’ diets, and how to strengthen the economic stability of local farms by expanding our customer base and increasing our current customers’ purchasing power.”

At 2 p.m., Select Board member Carol Berberian was given the honor of cutting the tomato red ribbon and the opening bell was rung for the first time this season.