The Kirkland Wednesday Market kicked off the opening season this week with a performance by Kirkland-based ukulele rock band “Marilyn and the G Strings” at Marina Park.

The performance, along with new local vendors, was one of the changes made as Marketing Director Tina Lathia takes over the Kirkland Wednesday Market. If her name sounds familiar it is because she is also the director for the Juanita Friday Market, which opens today.

“I wanted to do something special for opening day,” she said. “It would lighten up the scene and be fun.”

Lathia, who has been directing the Friday market for five years, said she plans to keep the Wednesday Market the same, though she still hopes to attract bigger crowds with new vendors offering local products, such as fresh goat cheese, all-natural beef, nurseries and specialty chocolates. The variation, she said, will ideally keep people coming back.

“I find if you come to the market every year you want to find something new,” she said.

Now that she is in charge of both markets and with the Juanita Friday Market growing after moving from Juanita Beach Park temporarily, Lathia said she intends to promote both days and locations. The Kirkland Wednesday Market is run by the Kirkland Downtown Association, while the Juanita Friday Market is run by the city of Kirkland.

“Friday has been definitely growing,” Lathia said. “When we moved it over to the [north] side [of Northeast Juanita Drive] when there was restoration work at Juanita Beach Park, we did lose a few vendors because the market was off to the side. Now that the market has been at the beach for the past five years it’s been my main goal to create awareness that there is a market on Wednesday and Friday.”

Lathia, a Redmond resident, said they are also looking to promote the markets to people from neighboring cities on the Eastside.

“It’s been really busy but a lot of fun,” she said. “I love working with local farmers and getting to know people from local businesses.”

The Wednesday market is open from 2-7 p.m. and runs until September. The Friday market runs from 3-7 p.m.

Among the products sold are fruits, flowers and fresh produce grown from the local area.

This is the third year the Wednesday market has been held at Marina Park after it spent two years on Park Lane. The market saw sales drop every time it was forced to move, but when they returned to Marina Park they saw sales remain steady from the prior year.

For more information, go to www.kirklandwa.gov/JuanitaFridayMarket and www.kirklandmarket.org.