By By CRAIG DAVISON / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN - Organizers of the new Buchanan Farmers' Market are hoping the addition to the downtown area will not only provide residents with local fresh produce, but develop the downtown and a sense of community.
The grand opening for the market is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The market is located on the north edge of the Buchanan Common, located at 122 Days Avenue.
The Common will be busy for the first Saturday of the market, with the Buchanan Senior Services Center holding a fundraiser breakfast from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and Pears Mill also opening for the season that afternoon.
The market features 10 stalls, with running water, electricity and a permanent roof structure. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. the 27th and every Saturday through October. In June through September, the market will be open Thursday evenings from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The first visitors can expect local early strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, bedding plants, among others, as well as value-added products like relishes and jams, said Phil Hempel, market master, a member of the Farmer's Market Board and owner of Blossomland Bee Supply, 999 W. Front St., Buchanan.
Hempel hopes the development of the Common with the market will lead to a better development of the community.
At the market, people will be able to see the personal attentiveness in the growing of the produce, as well as the personal nature of buying direct from the supplier. “That community recognition builds a bond that makes our community better,” he added.
The Buchanan Farmers' Market is nearing completion, with only painting and landscaping left. Klarich said it will be done on time and the market will open regardless.
It is a project by the Buchanan Downtown Development Authority, the City of Buchanan and the Buchanan Farmers' Market Board.
Any vendors interested in renting a stall at the market should contact Karlich at 695-3291.