The Main Street Farmers Market will open Saturday at Memorial Square in Newberry.
Local vendors will set up shop across from the Opera House on Saturdays through Aug. 30 from 9 a.m. until noon.
While buyers hunt their weekly supply of produce, live music will play in the background.
Vendors planning to attend the first Saturday market include Lever Farms, Carter and Holmes, The Gardener's Market and Beverly Ringer selling baked goods-all to the tune of the music of Tammy Kitchens.
Lever Farms plans to bring strawberries, potatoes, cabbage, collards and squash to the market, but says many of its vegetables are a couple weeks from being ready to pick.
The Gardener's Market will have an array of vegetables, plants and garden supplies.
Carter and Holmes specializes in orchids and other plants.
Organizer Kristin Lindsay says she hopes the market will continue to grow as local gardeners start to harvest their crops.
Each week, the market will feature a local organization selling baked goods as a fundraiser. This week, the baked goods will come from Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.
Also, each week there will be a kids' tent offering play activities or a craft for the younger set. This week's kids' tent will be led by Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.
There will also be a Master Gardeners' tent where shoppers can ask gardening experts questions.
A Merchant Market Central tent will be set up where patrons can get information about downtown.
Lindsay says that she came up with the idea to have the downtown market after visiting her parents' farmers market in Florida.
She has worked with downtown merchants and master gardeners to move the farmers' market from the fairgrounds to the downtown square.
“We hope to have everything from the tomatoes for the salad to the dessert,“ said Lindsay of the selection.
Vendors wishing to market their produce, no matter how large the selection or quantity, can rent a table under a tent for $6 or share a space for $3. Other spaces without tents and tables can be rented for $3 each.
The vendors can only sell produce that is grown in South Carolina. Also, no eggs, canned goods or meats are allowed at the market unless they are from a DHEC-certified vender.
The mission of the market is to provide an outlet for local farmers to sell their produce and to promote the growth of the downtown shopping district.
For information about the charity bake sale, contact Beth Hipp at Elizabeth's On Main 405-1110. For information about the children's tent, contact Betty Gardner at A Frame Of Mind, 276-9990. All other questions should be directed to Lindsay, 276-9423.
MORE MARKETS
The Prosperity Market will kick off its season on Wednesday. The market will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the walking track on South Main Street in Prosperity.
The market is sponsored by the Newberry County Master Gardeners and anyone with local produce, plants or flowers is welcome to participate.
A bi-weekly market outside the Health and Human Services building on Wilson Road will set up shop starting on June 17.
The market is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. until noon and will run through mid-August.
The primary purpose of the market is to provide low-income families with fresh fruits and vegetables. Low-income families are able to get vouchers through the Health Department to purchase the produce. However, the market is open to everyone.
Lever Farm is the only grower in the area that has been certified to sell in the market outside the Health and Human Services building, but the farm promises a wide variety of locally grown produce.
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