Good Works
Sunday Market a focal point for renewing Cameron Park
Kathleen Graham, former community engagement director for Downtown Mainstreet Inc., and her daughter take a break during a recent Sunday Market at Cameron Park. Graham helped bring the weekly event to life as a place for local vendors, organizations and community members to come together.
Every Sunday, something special happens in downtown La Crosse. Neighbors catch up over coffee, children dance to live music, local entrepreneurs meet new customers, and Cameron Park fills with activity.
Free and open to the public, Sunday Market has quickly become a weekly tradition, bringing together local vendors, fresh food, live entertainment, community organizations and families in the heart of downtown. Behind the scenes, it also takes months of planning and the efforts of many people to bring it to life each week. Kathleen Graham, former community engagement director for Downtown Mainstreet Inc., is one of them.
How do you ensure the Sunday Market remains an inclusive and welcoming space?
The Sunday Market was born from a simple belief: when we create beautiful, welcoming public spaces filled with positive activity, people naturally come together.
Every Sunday morning, Cameron Park transforms into a place where families gather, friends reconnect, children play, local musicians perform, entrepreneurs share their passions and neighbors linger over coffee and conversation. While shopping local is certainly part of the experience, the market is really about creating a sense of belonging.
One of our biggest goals has been to help revitalize Cameron Park through consistent, positive programming. Vibrant parks don’t happen by accident. They happen when communities intentionally invest in creating spaces that feel safe, clean, welcoming and full of life. By filling the park with wellness classes, live music, family activities, nonprofits, local businesses and community organizations, we’re helping people build new memories in one of downtown La Crosse’s most important gathering places.
The market also serves as a gateway to downtown. We encourage visitors to park once and explore everything that makes downtown La Crosse special, from locally owned restaurants and boutiques to museums, coffee shops, the riverfront and nearby trails.
Why do gathering places like the Sunday Market matter today?
Fresh produce may bring people to the market, but community is what keeps them there.
Every vendor represents someone’s dream. Every musician shares their talent. Every nonprofit introduces people to ways they can get involved. Children dance together, neighbors strike up conversations and visitors discover businesses they may never have known existed. Those everyday moments create something much bigger than a shopping experience.
I believe gathering places like the Sunday Market are more important today than ever because genuine connection has become increasingly rare. Much of our lives now happen through screens, busy schedules and constant distractions. Parks and public spaces give us permission to slow down, be present and experience our community together.
They also remind us what public spaces can become when they’re intentionally cared for and activated. A park filled with music, laughter, movement, families and neighbors naturally feels welcoming. That positive energy encourages stewardship, strengthens community pride, supports local businesses and reshapes how people experience downtown. The Sunday Market is proof that when we invest in people and place at the same time, everyone benefits.
What signs from the Sunday Market illustrate how much it means to the community?
One Sunday, I stepped back for just a moment and looked across Cameron Park. There wasn’t one defining event happening. Instead, there were dozens of meaningful moments unfolding all at once.
Children were playing lawn games while parents visited with friends. A fitness class had just wrapped up as live music began. Vendors were sharing the stories behind their products, families were enjoying breakfast together and people who had come for the market were deciding which downtown shops, restaurants, or coffeehouses to visit next. Others hadn’t planned to buy anything at all. They simply wanted to be there.
That moment reminded me that success isn’t measured only by attendance or sales. It’s measured by whether people choose to stay. Whether they feel comfortable enough to linger, introduce themselves to someone new, bring their children, or make the market part of their weekly routine.
Watching Cameron Park come alive has reinforced what I believe about community. Great public spaces don’t simply exist. They are cultivated through intention, partnership and consistent care. When we create places where people feel welcome, safe and connected, we don’t just strengthen our parks. We strengthen our downtown, support our local businesses and invest in the relationships that make a city feel like home.
Reprinted with permission from the La Crosse Tribune.