BALDWIN — Baldwin officials are optimistic about plans for the city’s new downtown farmers market and multipurpose facility on Airport Road.
The market, which will be located just off Willingham Avenue, will open at 4 p.m. Friday, July 14, and be open each Tuesday and Friday from 4-8 p.m. during season. It will be limited to vendors selling homegrown and homemade foodstuffs and related items, with priority to those from Baldwin, as well as those in Banks, Habersham and adjacent counties.
“It’s something that’s been needed in our area, because most of the local farmers are using either a bank parking lot or an old parking lot from the previous business,” said Baldwin Mayor Jerry Neace. “This gives something a little more structured, with a little more aesthetics, and it puts it right in the center of Baldwin in our old downtown area, and hopefully will revitalize our downtown.”
The city removed a former body shop and the former city jail buildings to make way for the multipurpose area where the farmers market will be held.
In a sort of “Field of Dreams” vision, city leaders have long held they could design a farmer-friendly facility with easy access to the public, whether driving or walking, the community would embrace it and make it successful.
“What’s exciting about it is we have some citizens that are very, very, very enthusiastic about this, and it will bring a little more community involvement into this venture that the city’s trying to get developed this first year,” Neace said. “Hopefully we’ll have it moving right along sometime in the middle of July, and with their enthusiasm maybe we can get it moving pretty quick before fall, and then next year have a very large community involvement and have people from around the area bringing their produce in and their homegrown and homespun wares to our downtown area for our local citizens to come to and enjoy. “
Among those farmers are Alice Venter and Erik Keith from Baldwin Falls Farms, who said they produce specialty pork and other homegrown items, spoke to city council members during a recent work session, sharing ideas of how to grow a successful farmers market.
Neace said he appreciates their enthusiasm.
“They’re actually younger people,” Neace said. “They have other careers and other ideas. They’re not the old-timers that you see. They’re younger, they’re very vibrant, very enthusiastic, and want a good, wholesome, nutritious type of market for the local community to get homegrown goods.”
Keith said his plan is to cook some of the farm’s bacon on site for patrons to sample, adding the smell will add another element of ambience to the market, something else Neace is excited about.
“They’re not selling vegetables,” Neace said. “They’re selling bacon. It’s unique how they’ve done it. They’ve really done their homework and researched it, and it looks like something that’s going to be very, very good for the community.”
Last week, local farmers and city officials met at the new facility to test fit it for trucks, since the majority of those selling there will be using pickup trucks, possibly with canopies. Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Parrish said he was pleased with how that went.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring state and local officials from the City of Baldwin, and Habersham and Banks counties, will be held at 3:30 p.m. on opening day, July 14. The public is invited.
For more information, call Baldwin City Hall at (706) 778-6341.
