Published: November 24, 2007 09:45 pm         

Farmers market ends season optimistic about its future

FAYETTEVILLE — The inaugural season of the Fayette County Farmers Market came to a close last month. According to organizers, the endeavor was a sterling success and the prognosis for growth next year is phenomenal.

“That happened every weekend I was there,” said Laura Ketchum, treasurer of a loosely organized group of officers that helped bring the idea to fruition, when asked about any positive feedback she received from customers last summer.

“People would say, ‘This is great. We’re so glad this is happening. We hope it keeps going.’ There used to be a farmers market in Fayetteville maybe 10 years ago, but they weren’t able to keep it going for some reason. There were some who remembered that market, and they are happy to see something like that start back up again.”

The market, in the parking lot on the Wiseman Avenue side of the Fayette County Courthouse, opened to great fanfare in May and closed up shop last month. While Ketchum did not have many statistics readily available, she did note that an average Saturday morning saw five or six Fayette County vendors selling their wares to local residents.

One aspect that sets this farmers market apart from many others was the impetus behind it, Ketchum emphasized. Many such projects come about due to farmers themselves wanting a place to sell their produce. In stark contrast, the Fayette County Farmers Market sprouted from the requests of area residents who yearned for a place to buy home-grown — and hopefully healthier — fruits and vegetables.

Ketchum and other organizers participated in a farmers market research project for the West Virginia University Extension Service, but she said she won’t have the results of that until January. Farmers, she explained, filled out monthly surveys regarding the numbers and demographics of their clientele.

“I think it was pretty impressive that we ended up having about 30 farmers altogether. I don’t think we ever had 10 vendors (on a Saturday). They were not all there every day. They would sell vegetables and homemade breads. Sometimes, you could go to one vendor and get everything you wanted. Some of them sold everything. These were all local farmers. One of our only stipulations was that we wanted to support Fayette County farmers. We didn’t want to bring in any food from any other places beyond Fayette County,” she said.

Brian Sparks, a WVU Extension agent based in Fayetteville, agreed that community participation and support were instrumental. “It was very successful for its first year, mainly due to community support and interest,” said Sparks, who assisted with the market’s creation.

“We had a lot of produce come in. August was probably the best month. We’re gearing up for next year. A lot of producers are planning to expand. I’d like to see us open at least two or maybe three days a week. One day a week is just not enough for a farmer. People want to know where their food comes from now. This is a good opportunity for local farmers to grow produce or baked goods. People are wanting local food products. Mark this one up as a good year.”

The camaraderie enjoyed by vendors and customers alike was encouraging. In fact, one possibility being floated for next year is a community garden where children can learn more about the origins of the food they eat. Some of the older farmers expressed concerns to Ketchum about the future of American agriculture and the ignorance displayed by much of the younger generation about where their sustenance comes from.

“So many children are growing up not being taught how to grow food. At our end of season meeting, we talked about programs to get kids involved in a community garden. Some farmers talked about how they’ve had kids participate and help them in their gardens. We want to do it, and the farmers really want to do it. We want to inspire kids at a young age. I just wonder sometimes what kids think about where their food comes from. They don’t think beyond how that food shows up at the grocery store,” Ketchum lamented.

Other scenarios for next year include an extra day and a second location. For 2007, the market was open only four hours on Saturday mornings, from 7:30 to 11:30, which created problems for some whitewater rafters who wanted to enjoy the experience, Ketchum said. The idea of having a weekday evening, with the exception of Friday, has been mentioned. Organizers are also eyeing an undisclosed location in Oak Hill to operate in conjunction with the Fayetteville market site.

For more information or to learn more about participating in next year’s Fayette County Farmers Market, call Ketchum at 574-6027 or e-mail her at laurak@suddenlink.net.

— E-mail: mhill@register-herald.com