‘Farmers market’ planned for Clinton this spring
Clinton will be getting is own farmers market this spring and summer, operating one day a week in the downtown area.
Called the Clinton FARM Market, the enterprise will set up each Friday afternoon from May 7 through Oct. 29, according to Janet Hawkins, executive vice president of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.
“It will be in the flatter part of the parking area on Commerce Street from the restrooms down,” she said. “The East Tennessee Farm Association for Retail Marketing [FARM] is working to recruit farmers right now.
“They will open at 3 p.m. and stay until 6 or when they sell out,” she said.
The Clinton FARM Market will be associated with the similar operation that will run from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays, beginning April 10, in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge, she said.
Both markets and two more in Knoxville are operated by the FARM group. The ones in Knoxville are the Ebenezer Road FARM Market at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, open from 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays, starting April 6; and the Hardin Valley FARM Market, open from 3-6 p.m. on Thursdays, starting May 6.
The markets offer fresh products “sold by the person who raised it, grew it, made it or baked it,” said Kathy Mihalczo, president of FARM and the owner of the Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm in the Marlow community. She has been associated with the FARM group for more than 30 years, she said.
“Our mission is to support local agriculture,” Mihalczo said. “FARM is dedicated to helping local farmers and producers to direct-market their products to the public.”
She said the group is one of the “oldest agriculture marketing co-ops in the state of Tennessee,” having been around more than 42 years in Knox and Anderson counties.
“Clinton will be our fourth market,” she said. “We decided to partner with the city of Clinton and the Anderson County Chamber once we found out they desired to start a farmers market. Clinton is an underserved area for fresh local produce. And Clinton is growing. It has a great little downtown, and a great history.
“And [farmers markets] are what we do,” she said. “Our FARM markets are producer-only markets. There is no hauling in, no reselling, no buying and selling. It’s all locally produced by the sellers.
The group’s markets also “end up being great community gathering places,” she said.
“We provide access to fresh local food. That’s what it’s all about. It hasn’t been shipped in from other parts of the country. What we offer is the safest, because it has not been handled by a lot of people. It’s just picked, making it more nutritious. And our outdoor shopping environment is safer with COVID-19.”
The group is still looking for sellers for the Clinton market, Mihalczo said.
“We are actively seeking new vendors,” she said. “We need community support. We want people to spread the word, and come out to the market. We have an application on our website (easttnfarmmarkets.com).
“FARM has 75 members now,” she said. “We’re extremely excited about building the market, but we’re going to need some help. We’re looking for farmers, growers. You don’t have to be a big farmer. You could have just a backyard garden plot. You could have flowers, honey; we even have some artisans. We allow bakers, but their products must be from a certified kitchen.”
The FARM markets also allow “community outreach” booths, which can pass along information, but are not allowed to sell any products, Mihalczo said.
“We’ve had master gardeners, nursing students doing blood-pressure checks, boy and girl scouts; we encourage those,” she said.