May 10, 2008
The Farmer’s Market!
Lots of produce, sweet-scented goodies for the garden, eggs, sausage, maple trees, …. it’s all there. Saturdays, 7am to noon. Present location: ** NOT at the Farmer’s Market building at 9 E. Old St. as indicated on Google, but a block north and 1-2 blocks east on River St, under what Google gives as the Adams St./2nd St. bridge.
Thinking about the lack of info out there on our Farmer’s Market (where it is or what vendors need to do to be vendors, for example), it occurred to me that something like the following tool may be really handy for all:
17th St. Farmer’s Market
Directional signs would be a nice addition…
I think there is one sign in front of the Visitor’s Center, and another one along the fence next to PAAL. There may be more? I just am of the opinion that the internet is a great tool for giving folks the skinny before they leave their houses. :-)
I am surprised that they have not moved it back to the actual Farmer’s Market building. I thought the only reason it was under the Colonial Heights bridge last season was because of the exterior renovation going on with the Farmer’s Market and this was only going to be temporary. Now that is completed, I wonder why they haven’t moved it back to there.
It could be a case that the vendors like it better at the new location. They can just pull up their trucks and work off the back of them.
Yeah, the FM building sort of needs something going on there, it being a key architectural element in our Old Towne. If the Visitor’s Center won’t be locating there (?? - I have no idea what the current plan is in that regard; I’m not even sure who owns the building), ownership issues allowing, why not move the weekly Farmer’s Market events inside the FM building, so vendors and customers can enjoy a nice rain- and sun-sheltered setting?
The city owns the building. Now I have not heard of any change in the plan in it becoming Petersburg’s visitor center. From what I have heard, the hold up is just coming up with the funding.
Have you heard it was not going to be the visitor center?
Nope, I’ve not heard that it won’t. Just been scratching my head wondering 1) wassup with progress on the VC moving in there, and 2) wassup with the Farmer’s Market still being under the bridge, given the exterior work is done (the advantage to being under the bridge that you offer I hadn’t thought of, though I did wonder if it offers vendors more shade).
I like the recent farmers’ market location under the bridge because it provides more of an atmosphere of an interesting and colorful bazaar. When I go there I feel like I can visually grasp more at one time (so it seems more active to me) than when I circled and circled the former location, experiencing perhaps 1/8 of it at a time. But that’s just me.
Never thought about it that way david, but I agree.
For capturing foot traffic, the new visitor center location would be better.
I have heard some of the vendors like the new location…
Mystery over in that case. :-)
An aside: here’s a recommendation for those who enjoy frequenting their local farmer’s markets, or who like me, are only recently opening their eyes to the whole enterprise: Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”, which tells the story of her family’s experience living one year off of food raised in their own county if not their own farm in SW Virginia.
You should put that on the recommended list at Minerva’s too.
The RTD has a great listing of the region’s farmer’s markets, though apparently folks such as Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have not been apprised of the Petersburg FM’s current location (see, e.g., here)? Perhaps b/c it is a ‘temporary’ location (?) and signage directs folks to the current location?
The RTD also has an article on the benefits of frequenting your area Farmer’s Markets.
I wish it was more like the Amish Markets in Maryland. There is no comparison.
Eh, that’s the one thing I really miss about Syracuse - the Farmer’s Markets up there were….le sigh…..the best!
Of course…driving in a white-out…that they can keep. =P
Hey — the Old Towne Merchants Group has chased down a list of some of the participating vendors:
Posted by the Richmond Food Collective:
Richmond Farmer’s Markets on Google Maps
Some numbers from another regional FM, the Lakeside Farmer’s Market.
Also, there’s a produce/antiques market off of I-85 in Dinwiddie (exit 460 N/E… what’s the exit again Chuck?) — it’s open 6 days a week, most of the day. Of course, I didn’t write down the name of the place, or its hours. ?! But it’s there. Really.
I-85 to exit 61 (Rt. 460), bear right onto Rt. 460/Airport St. and follow down to first traffic light (at Cox Rd.). Turn right at light then immediate left into parking lot. It’s called ‘All Good Things Farm Market’
I need to get the pics I took that day up!
Nice bit in the P-I today about the Farmer’s Market under the bridge:
http://www.progress-index.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19856506&BRD=2271&PAG=461&dept_id=462943&rfi=6