I hear that the main coordinator has moved out of Crozet and there is no one running the farmer’s ship. It would be devastatingly sad if this were left to “wither away” as someone recently said to me.
So the questions are –
1 – Is anyone running the Crozet Farmer’s Market? If so, who? When do you open?
2 – If no one is coordinating now, is there anyone willing to step up? Crozetians will support the farmer’s market.
** note that this is a story based on one email back and forth; I’d love to post a correction/clarification/update **
Related stories from RealCrozetVA:
Crozet Farmer’s Market – linking to a wonderful story from Life in Sugar Hollow
Crozet Farmer’s Market – Fresh Veggies, Organic Food and more
Help the Crozet Farmer’s Market
Update 31 March 2010:
WCAV has a story today … thanks for picking up this story!
With the warm weather arriving, farmers markets are beginning to open.
The Charlottesville market opens this weekend, but the future of another popular market could be in jeopardy.Every summer, about 10 local farmers and vendors fill a church parking lot in downtown Crozet with their goods.
“I’ll be driving into work one morning, and I’ll see all the tents set up, and I know it’s time to go over and start getting my produce from there,” said Mark Cosgrove, chef and owner of Fardowners.
The tradition could change. Vendors said they can only hope the market will start the first Saturday in May. The organizer is stepping down, and someone needs to take her place.
The problem is a new leader hasn’t been chosen yet.
Update: I’m assuming this is the Local Harvest site Janet mentions in the comments.
I wouldn’t know where to start in running a farmer’s market, but I’m willing to put forth a lot of effort to keep it alive. Anyone want to share the burden/teach me?
Have we asked the folks at the church if anyone has contacted them about using their parking lot?
I love the Farmers’ Market and I would definitely help out in some way. I am sure someone knows how to reach the person who coordinated it in the past if they have moved away. If someone could get that contact information, we could get started.
I was intending on selling heirloom tomatoes at the market this year (I have about 50 varieties growing) plus other veggies. I don’t think there’s any organization needed other than getting permission from the church. A market is just a place where people show up to buy and sell things.
The nice Mennonite lady with the yummy baked goods was running the market. Isn’t she coming back?
Whoever is going to run it should be one of the vendors that show up every weekend.
This made the news. The church says it’s fine for people to just show up.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/89636202.html
Just saw this as I was wondering about the status of the Crozet market. If anybody has an update, let us know. We’d be interested in selling our chicken and beef at the market. Thanks! Tim, Davis Creek Farm
Does anybody have the old signs for the Crozet Farmer’s Market?
If we want people to show up there should be some sort of promotion.
We are assembling a team of market vendors to co-op the organizer role for the farm market. Next week is the scheduled opening day of the market, so if anyone is interested, please email me( [email protected]) or show up at the site on Sat morning. As far as I know, no fees will be collected from vendors at this time.
Jim, Dawn Story at PEC in Charlottesville has done a great job with the Farmer’s Market at Forest Lakes. Have you contacted Dawn or PEC? (Piedmont Environmental Council).
PEC staff have a great deal of expertise and have been pushing initiatives like Buy Local, Produced in Virginia, organizing Farmer’s Markets and otherwise helping local farmers with advertising and support. Presently I know they are putting out a Farmer-to-Chef Directory’s because I am listed in it. I just saw Dawn at a screening of “The Garden” at The Haven Sunday evening so I know she hasn’t transferred or been snatched away by a head hunter.
I don’t want to put Dawn’s email and phone number on here but will send said info to you via private email if you don’t simply look her up in the phone book!
If someone wants to step up and take on being the manager, Dawn of PEC said she’d be happy to give advice. She’s a terrific and knowledgeable person and someone should certainly take her up on that offer.
🙂
I spoke to Al Minutulo(sp?) on Saturday. He is a long time vendor and has taken the helm to keep the market going, along with a group of other regular vendors.
New vendors are always welcome! Let’s keep supporting our local community market.
Janet –
Thanks for the great news that the Market has a leader!
I have land in Barboursville, 3 miles from the Ruckersville Sheetz. If any competent imaginative organic entrepreneur wants to set up an organic garden or poultry tractors or other vital healthy foods enterprise on my land to sell at the Farmer’s Markets and get rich, please contact me to create a win-win arrangement. It will be strictly DIY so I am looking for pioneer-types, not turn-key folks. I propose to provide the land, space, freedom, encouragement and you provide the carpentering, materials, and energy (because I am old and kinda feeble). A portion of all the vital food you raise goes to Jim to help him and his family thrive as a tithe because I enjoy the postings here. And a portion of your monetary profits goes to me to help me pay my ghastly appalling unfair awful land taxes so you, too, can farm a la Salatin!!!!!
If I want to set up at the market, do I just show up or is there something else I need to do. Do you know when it will begin? Thanks for any information. I have photography and jewelry to sell.
Just show up and set up! 5% goes to the market fund. I’ll work on getting the new rules…check out the Local Harvest site too for updates.
Thanks, Janet!
http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M17021?ul
Link to the Crozet Farmers Market on Local Harvest.
Jim, Thanks for your help. This blog is a great resource for Crozet-ians!