My View On The Farmers Market

The farmers market was a topic of conversation recently and it's current location will be disturbed by the construction in Jawbone Park scheduled to begin in July. I am told there are several options for the permanent location of the farmers market after completion of the Jawbone construction. Some of the options were designed by VanNostrand Architechs and others by the city engineering staff. I have not seen any of the proposed designs and am hopeful that the new council will ahve an opportunity to review all the designs. In any event some changes are in store for the farmers market.

I have talked with individuals who studied other area farmers markets and they offered the Bridgeport farmers market as an example of a well run market system. The Bridgeport market has set hours of operation. By setting specific hours, the public knows exactly when it will be open and the farmers have found they have more visitors and frequently sell out before the end of the scheduled hours. By establishing specific hours, the city of Bridgeport has use of the farmers market area for alternate functions during non market hours.

I have observed the Buckhannon farmers market with only one or two vendors per day and those vendors are there for most of the day. Seems to me, if I were a farmer, having a set time for sales would be a better use of my time. As a child I would go the market with Uncle Aust three days a week arriving before the sun rose and back on the farm about 8:30am for breakfast. Uncle Aust knew when and where to go to sell his produce. The Bridgeport market has a set of bylaws, and participants are required to register to sell at the market.

Whether the permanent home of the farmers market is near downtown or incorporated into Jawbone Park, an operating structure similar to Bridgeport makes sense to me. The farmers market is a unique feature of Buckhannon and should continue.