The Searcy farmers’ market is getting ready to open once again. The farmers’ market opens on Saturday, April 20, with some new features and a new location.
The market, originally on the south end of Spring Park, will now be located on the east end of the courthouse square in downtown Searcy. This will help with traffic visibility as well as helping the downtown area by promoting sidewalk sales and music on the square.
“There is just the potential for a lot more activities to be tied in with the farmers’ market,” Amy Burton, executive director of Main Street Searcy, said. “We had a lot of returning customers that came every week, but we were looking for a way to bring in new customers.”
The farmers’ market will also be featuring new times of operation during this season. The market will be open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Saturday until October as well as a new added time, 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. This time slot will be primarily for the latest addition to the market, online ordering.
“We are establishing an online farmers’ market to go hand-in-hand with the Main Street Searcy farmers’ market,” Burton said. “We are using the online site so that farmers can post their products, then customers can go on, place their order and then it will be ready for them to pick up and pay for on Tuesdays.”
Most of the farmers that sell in the market are proud to claim that all of their products are free of pesticides and that all of the meat sold at the market is USDA certified.
Brandon Gordon, local farmer and owner of Five Acre Farms, said he is very excited for this year’s market.
“Participating in the farmers’ market has been a welcome surprise,” Gordon said. “We know many of our customers on a first name basis and they are so appreciative of what we do.”
Burton encouraged students and members of the Searcy community to shop at the farmers’ market.
“We are a certified Arkansas farmers’ market, so you know when you come out and buy at the farmers’ market that they have grown that food; they are not allowed to go purchase things at the grocery store and then go resell it, and that is really important, you know where your food is coming from,” Burton said.
You can find the online market site at searcy.locallygrown.net. Online ordering will be available there once the physical market opens. Also, stay connected with the farmers and the market on Facebook at Searcy Certified Farmers’ Market, Five Acre Farms, Yarbro Farms, Victorious Cross Ranch and Freckle Face Farms.
