Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens Saturday

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Farmers Market

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for the season in Jackson Square at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 15. It will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, and from 3 p.m. to sellout on Wednesdays starting June 7. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for the season in Jackson Square on Saturday, April 15.

The Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. It will be open from 3 p.m. to sellout on Wednesday starting June 7.

The farmers markets are operated by the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. FARM celebrated its 40th anniversary last fall.

According to FARM history, two law students from the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University organized Food Fairs in 1976 that would bring farmers together to eventually create the Farmers Association for Retail Marketing.

“The primary objectives of the project were to increase income for family farmers in Tennessee by providing new markets and to get fresh, homegrown produce to urban consumers at fair prices,” the FARM history said. [Read more…]

Photo: Vendors at Oak Ridge Farmers Market

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There were four vendors at the Oak Ridge Farmers Market at Jackson Square on January 30 and three on February 27. (Photo by Ray Evans)

 

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market officially opens in April, but a few vendors have already been at the market and set up on Saturday mornings.

There were four vendors at the Farmers Market on Saturday, January 30, and three on Saturday, February 27, said Ray Evans, Oak Ridge retail consultant.

Last year, the Farmers Market opened for its 39th season in mid-April. During the season, it’s generally open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Wednesday markets started in May last year. [Read more…]

Construction: Part of Broadway to close on Saturday mornings for Farmers Market

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Oak Ridge Farmers Market and Jackson Square

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market is pictured above with Jackson Square in the background. The section of Broadway in front of Jackson Square will be closed on Saturday mornings for the Farmers Market until more parking becomes available. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market will be set up differently at Jackson Square starting Saturday, July 11, and for the next six to eight weeks to provide additional parking for customers.

Because both Blankenship Field and Jackson Square parking lots are closed for repaving, the City of Oak Ridge will be closing Broadway Avenue every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon in front of Jackson Square until more parking becomes available.

This will allow some farmers to set up on Broadway Avenue, while others will remain in a smaller area of the Farmers Market parking lot, allowing more space for customer parking. The Farmers Market will not block any sidewalks in Jackson Square, so that customers can still get to the shops and businesses there, a press release said. [Read more…]

East Tennessee FARM Markets opening soon

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East TN Farmers Association Logo

East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM, a nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce the opening of its 39th season of farmers’ markets in East Tennessee, in three convenient locations in Knoxville and Oak Ridge. Established in 1976, FARM is Tennessee’s longest continuously operating farmers’ market organization.

“We are proud to offer this service to the Knoxville-Oak Ridge community,” said Steve Colvin, president of East TN FARM. “Our membership typically includes about 70 producer-vendors, offering more than 100 different Tennessee grown products from April through November.”

FARM vendors will offer a wide variety of spring bedding plants, fresh produce, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, artisan bread and cheese, local honey, and fresh eggs. As the season goes on, they offer the freshest produce possible, including just-picked strawberries, peaches, sweet corn, and heirloom tomatoes. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens April 18

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East TN Farmers Association Logo

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for its 39th season in Historic Jackson Square on Saturday, April 18.

The market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The market will also be open on Wednesdays beginning May 6.

Here’s what’s new at the market this year:

  • Senior Day every Wednesday! Seniors over the age of 60 get 5 percent off their purchases at the Oak Ridge Farmers’ Market.
  • FARM Fan Club—Members receive text reminders and shopping rewards. To sign up, visit the website at www.EastTNFarmMarkets.org.
  • Kids’ Day, May 23, from 9-­11:30 a.m., with live farm animals, crafts, games, and a FARM scavenger hunt for children ages 5 to 12!

The Oak Ridge Farmers’ Market will also host live music and workshops on topics such as herb gardening and composting all summer long. [Read more…]

Farmers Market now open on Wednesdays in Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

 

The East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM, opened the Wednesday FARM Market at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The Oak Ridge market operates in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square. It is also the site of the popular Saturday FARM Market that operates from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

The market is open in Oak Ridge from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday each week.

FARM operates two market locations in Knoxville on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. The Tuesday market is held at Ebenezer United Methodist Church at 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Drive. On Friday, farmers sell products at the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike across from Cherokee Boulevard.

Established in 1976, FARM markets run from mid-April through late November. For more information visit online at www.easttnfarmmarkets.org.

Farmers Markets to open this weekend in Knoxville, Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

The longest continuous operating farmers markets in East Tennessee will open for the season on Friday, April 11, in Knoxville, and Saturday, April 12, in Oak Ridge. The second Knoxville market location will open on Wednesday, April 16. 

“After a long winter, it’s always a welcome sign of spring when the farmers markets open and we see the first of the spring harvest coming in,” said Steve Colvin, president of the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. “We’re hoping the final cold snaps won’t take too much of a toll on the early crops.”

FARM operates markets on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike at Cherokee Boulevard. On Wednesdays, the FARM Market operates at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Avenue. The Saturday market is held from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]