Coming off an Independence Day break, the Downtown Elizabethton Farmer’s Market is ready to get back into the swing of activities.
The market, located on F Street in the parking lot between the Elizabethton Police Department and First Christian Church, resumed activities Tuesday much to the delight of patrons in attendance. DEFM is scheduled to continue each Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. until October 31.
Josh McKinney, DEFM board member, said he appreciated the current support for the project and expects action to pick up in the coming weeks with more produce available.
“Coming off that late May/early June time frame, we’re entering the peak time for some of the different products available,” McKinney said. “If anybody hasn’t had the chance to come by the market yet, we’re starting to reach that peak season for different vendors.”
DEFM is averaging 10-15 vendors per market date and McKinney added opportunities are still available for any vendors that are looking to get their products out to the public.
“We definitely still have opportunities available for any potential vendors,” McKinney said. Interested vendors looking to participate can visit www.uwayecc.org/defm and fill out an application.
But the early success comes in part with the support from the community, McKinney added. During the first night of the market, DEFM Donica Krebs stated each of the participating vendors were able to sell out of products just a couple of hours into the event.
“We were able to get electricity at the market for our food vendors,” he said. “We really appreciate the City and the Parks & Rec Department for their help.”
Along with the various vendors, musical performances are provided during the market from Blue River Studio.
“That’s been a great addition to the market,” McKinney said. “Each day, we’ve been able to have a performer.” Performers looking to participate in the market can contact Blue River Studio at (423) 213-5060.
An inaugural year brings a fair share of positives, but it also comes with a learning curve. McKinney said the market will look at continually improving the experience for the public.
“We want to make sure we’re serving the needs of our community members that visit the market,” McKinney said. “In the development phase of the market, we were able to have success sending out a survey to gauge the interest of the public. In the final weeks of the market, we’re looking at putting out another survey to gauge the opinions of the the public and see what we can incorporate for the second year.”
McKinney added that patrons can give their feedback on the market by visiting the Downtown Elizabethton Farmer’s Market Facebook page online.
For more information on the market, email defarmersmarket@gmail.com or check out the DEFM on social media.