A One-of-a-Kind History

In the early '70s, there was talk amongst local farmers that Athens ought to have a farmers market. After setting up shop in metered spots on Court street to sell their goods, these local farmers were told by the city move elsewhere. John Millar, a district conservationist in Athens at the time, was put in charge with finding a suitable, permanent place for Athens' new farmers market. Many places were offered, including the county fairgrounds, but Millar and the others chose the East State Street Park and Recreation area. Bylaws were drafted, and it was decided, like many other farmers markets, that only producers of t

he products would be able to sell their goods at the market. 

With the official thumbs-up from Athens' mayor at the time, Donald Barrett, the market began selling its products to the surrounding community on "a summer day in 1972," according 

to the Athens Farmers Market Web site. The market was to be held Saturdays at 10 a.m. from April to Thanksgiving at the East State Street City Park, on a paved lot near the tennis courts. 

Ten years after the market first offered its produce to outsiders, it was moved to a new parking area that was closer to East State street. As the market grew in size and clout, more producers chose to sell their products through the once-weekly market (or twice, depending on what time of year you are going).

The market made a dra

stic change when in 1995 it was decided that the market should stay open year round. Also, the city passed a levy that would allow for the creation of a community center that would take up the space that was, at the time, being used to host the market. 

In 1998, the managers of the farmers market were allowed to relocate to the University Mall parking lot. The new location allowed for more producer stalls and wider aisles for customers to walk through. Also, it naturally allowed for more traffic flow because of the added space for customers to park their cars, which used to be a problem for the market at its previous location because the community center lacked adequate parking. 

In 2004, to boost attendance from campus and up-town residents, the city held a Sunday morning market downtown once a month. But with lackluster attendance, the promotional market was ended in after one year. 

In 2006, market managers outlined a plan to develop a permanent pavilion at which the market would be hosted weekly. The plans foiled, however, after the owners of University Mall pulled out of negotiations. According to AFM's Web site, the market was set to move back to its beginnings in the community center parking lot in 2008, but to this day the market continues to be held in the University Mall parking lot, serving the community from its home on East State street.

The preceding history was condensed from information on the Athens Farmers Market Web site. 

The two pictures are from Flickr. The first one is of some vegetables at the Farmers Market in Jackson, Miss., and it is by NatalieMaynor. The second photo is from the San Francisco Public Library's online photo archive. It depicts the San Francisco farmers market on its 10th anniversary in 1953.  

Blog Review: AthensFarmersMarket.blogspot.com

Today I am reviewing the blog Athens Farmers Market. It is another Blogger site written and run by Sarah Conley, the manager of the Athens Farmers Market. This blog has some great content. Looking through some of the more recent posts I noticed recipes, announcements from the vendors and management, guest blogs and some multimedia content such as recordings and pictures.

It think the mission of the blog is to relay information from management to customers. What sorts of products are available this weekend? What are some upcoming events that will be hosted by the market? This blog answers those questions, and it does a fine job at. But also it is just a great resource for anyone interested in the motivating aspects of a farmers markets everywhere including the sustainability of the local economy, the growth and preparation of healthy and uncontaminated foods and 

One noticeable caveat, however, is the fact that the site doesn't have any videos. I find video to be one of the most explicit ways to capture the personality of place without actually being there. This site doesn't do that, and I think that is a huge pitfall that a lot of blogs fall in to. 

This might be too nit-picky, but I would like to see the site hosted outside of Blogger. I know the farmers market is a not-for-profit entity, but I think to further its professional reputation, the domain name should be bought (if it isn't already taken) and a stand-alone Web site should be erected in the mold of what has already been established at the blog.

The blog also should try to garner more of a community feel. What I mean by that is they should encourage visitors to the site to post comments about not only the posts, but the farmers market in general. What could they do better? What sort of foods do customers want to see or see more of? Most of the posts have no comments, and the ones that do have one or two. There is little discussion on the site, which either means people don't visit the blog much, or the people who do visit the site don't feel comfortable enough posting. Either way, something needs to change. Dialogue is key to any blog, and even more so with community-based sites, which this one very much is. I think that a lot of people would be interested in airing out their thoughts and ideas on this blog, and it could further the sense of camaraderie and conversation that is so prevalent at the physical market. 

That being said, the site does provide an interesting and informative view on the market. There is a link to the site in the blogroll on the sidebar of the page. 

Athens F.M. Video

This is a great video of the Athens Farmers Market. I couldn't think of a better way to introduce non-visitors to the market than to show exactly what it is like in moving-picture format.

This video showcases some of the best parts of the weekly festivities. The music, one of the most distinctive aspects of the Market, lends the backdrop to the scene. The panning image of an empty parking lot quickly becomes crowded with people and cars. The video shows vendors preparing for the hoards of people to descend on University Mall. David Gutknecht, the man in the yellow vest and former manager of the Market, rings the bell to officially commence the extravaganza. People parade in, snatching up the best that the Market has to offer while they still can.

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There is much more to the video, and I advise all to have a look. Overall, though, for those who have not visited the market, I don't think there is anything better than a video to accustom one's self to an unfamiliar place. The video is like an enticing sample of the real thing. It truly does get you in the mood to visit this place. One gets to see some of the great people (and characters) who visit the market. The video also is a great introduction to the vast variety of food that is offered at the market.

The video portrays a side of Athens' culture that most students don't see. The vendors in the video and a majority of the customers are "townies," folks who live in Athens year round as opposed to only nine months. There is a vivid disconnect between the locals and most Ohio University students who consider Athens nothing more than a four-year stop on the railroad of life that ends at bigger and better places. Why this happens is beyond the scope of this discussion, but time should be taken to experience one's cultural surroundings, especially when that culture is as unique, emotive and downright inspiring as Appalachian culture. That culture can be found at Athens Farmers Market.

The video was found on YouTube. It was produced by Stan Alost, Assistant Director of Ohio University's School of Visual Communication.

Welcome to Athens F.M.

Hello all, and welcome to Athens F.M. a place for those new to the Athens Farmers Market. Athens is a small town ripe with culture. Housing Ohio University, this community an hour and a half southeast of Columbus prides itself on its Appalachian heritage, home-grown aura and neighborly demeanor. Nowhere else can those characteristics be more tangibly felt than at Athens Farmers Market. Bundled in the close-knit quarters of the University Mall parking lot on E. State Street, hundreds of visitors snake past the vendors every Saturday morning, considering the newest offering of fruits, vegetables and breads from local growers. Local musicians fill the air regional tunes for shoppers to tap their foot to. Many regulars just go there to talk and catch up on recent events their respective lives. There is no one reason why so many return week in and week out. The pull of the market for every person is as unique as its visitors. 

Although many local residents know of the Athens Farmers Market and visit it regularly, not as many Ohio University students are aware of its existence, let alone shop at it. I was one of those students until recently. But after experiencing the Athens Farmers Market in all of its gastronomical glory, I believe that I must alleviate the problem by introducing more OU students to all that the Athens Farmers Market has to offer. So I hope that you enjoy the site, visit it often and learn something about one of Athens' great landmarks, the Athens Farmers Market.