Waterford farmers - and those who love their local produce - will no longer have to travel to Marietta or McConnelsville for a farmers market, with their own beginning this week.
The Waterford FFA Alumni group will hold its first farmers market from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday in the Waterford Elementary School parking lot. The event will be repeated each Thursday through the end of September.
"We're hoping to have at least 10 vendors for our first market and that it will grow from there," said Missy Antill, one of the organizers. "We'll have fresh vegetables, different plants, eggs, baked goods and a few crafts."
The money raised from the vendor fees will support the Waterford chapter of the FFA, with a long-term goal being to raise enough money to offer an annual scholarship to a student.
There is still plenty of space available if other vendors are interested in taking part, Antill said. The fees are $5 a week, with a maximum of $40 for the season, and a discount for vendors 18 and younger.
Members of Waterford's chapter of the FFA will be given booth space for free in order to encourage them to participate, said organizer Melissa Huck.
"Many of them work on agricultural projects, and the market is a great way for them to have access to selling them and getting that experience," she said. "We're hoping some of the kids will do that."
There are students signed up to sell pork products at the first farmers market, she said.
In addition to products sold, there will be special events held in conjunction with the market at least once a month, say the organizers. That includes a pedal tractor pull July 2 during the event.
"There may be musicians other times or other retailers, maybe selling farm toys," said Huck. "We're trying to coordinate special things, and we hope this takes off. It's a great location with plenty of parking, and everyone so far seems very excited and responsive."
The market is also registered with the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Division and follows their regulations.
"That's a real plus for our vendors and consumers," Huck said.
In addition to supporting the students in the FFA, the idea of the area's newest farmers market isn't to compete with other markets in the region but to complement them, Huck said.
"I was told there could be one every day of the week because the producers pick every day, not just the day of the markets," she said.
