Norris Farmers Market opens; Clinton’s is next

May 8, 2024 by G. Chambers Williams III

Organizer Mindy Wells was on hand last Wednesday as the Norris Farmers Market kicked off its 2024 season, and she said the large turnout of vendors and customers made opening day a success.

“I am pleased, and I hope this means we’re going to have a great year,” she said.

The Clinton FARM Market, meanwhile, will begin on Thursday, May 23, in Lakefront Park, according to its organizers.

About 10 vendors were on hand in front of Norris Middle School for the Norris market, which from now until late September will be held from 3-6 p.m. each Wednesday.

Although fresh vegetables still have a while before they’re ready to appear, vendors offered crafts, fresh breads, jams and jellies, plants, salsa varieties and more.

Kelli Hatmaker of Campbell County, who offers fresh sourdough bread loaves and bagels, was on hand for opening day, and saw most of her stock sell out. She said she bakes at home, and usually sells 10 to 12 dozen bagels a week in several venues, along with bread and some cookie varieties.

Chris West, owner of WesJac Farm on Mountain Road, was on hand selling fresh eggs and meat, and Joe Sayers of Andersonville offered jars of his homemade salsas from his booth.

Nya Presson of Heiskell sold handcrafted items that she made from her booth, called “Nya’s Jewelry Creations.”

“The rule is that all vendors must create, make, or grow what they sell,” Wells said. “No reselling is allowed. This is a traditional farmers’ market. Crafts are always welcome as long as they are made by the vendors.

“But no multilevel marketing products are allowed, and this is not a flea market,” said Wells, who operates a farm in Norris that produces blueberries and eggs. “It’s a very loose market.”

In Clinton, last year the market moved from Commerce Street downtown to Lakefront Park, near the new Clinch River bridge off Charles G. Seivers Boulevard.

It will operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., “rain or shine,” said Kathy Mihalczo, president of the East Tennessee Farm Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM, which sponsors the market.

“We hope to build on the success we had last year in Lakefront Park,” she said. “Spring crops usually are available early, such as sweet and white potatoes, lettuce, chard, kale, beets and radishes.

“The association has more than 100 members; 75 of them are farmers,” Mihalczo said. “Besides the produce, our market also will have bakers, plant growers, gourmet food vendors, artisan crafts, honey, and cut flowers.

“We hope the community will come out and support the vendors,” she said. “We had great traffic last year and we love being part of the Clinton community. The SNAP-EBT food benefit program is available. People can use their benefit cards to get tokens to spend at the market.

“Everything is locally grown,” she added. “We inspect the farms to be sure.”

In Norris, the farmers’ market has been coordinated by Wells for the past several years. She hopes to have anywhere from 10 to 15 vendors each week, and she said all of them will be from the local area.

“Our market has been much more focused on small farmers and backyard farmers,” she said. “People who grow blueberries in their back yards. People who have gardens, but just have too much produce, or have a couple of beehives, so they have some honey to sell. These are people who aren’t necessarily farmers, but they do have things to offer.”

“We’re still open to new vendors, and anyone interested can contact us through our Facebook page or call me directly,” Wells said. “We’re not part of any of the farmers market associations.” she said.