The Cooperstown Farmers' Market is nestled in Pioneer Alley between and behind the Wax Museum and Key Bank. It is a place where those in the local community and out-of-towners can find items such as fresh produce, locally raised meats and poultry, flowers, a variety of baked goods, jams and jellies and an assortment of handicrafts.
On Saturday, it will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Festivities will include music, refreshments and activities. Volunteers dressed in veggie costumes will cut the ceremonial ribbon at 8 a.m.
Polly Renckens, longtime supporter and volunteer for the Cooperstown Farmers' Market, has announced her retirement. There are plans to acknowledge her years of service.
Renckens said she would like to have more time with her family, particularly in the role as grandmother.
In honor of the market's anniversary, the Friends of the Cooperstown Farmers' Market fundraising campaign has been launched. For a $25 tax deductible donation, friends receive a Friend of the Cooperstown Farmers' Market bumper sticker and are encouraged to sign or draw something on a graffiti wall, which will be displayed at the market.
To commemorate the occasion, former village mayor and owner of Mohican Flowers Carol Waller has created a floral cake using dried flowers, moss fruits and berries. The cake is being displayed at the market every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Waller said in a media release that designing the cake was a "great green challenge."
"I want it to reflect what I love about the market, its root in the local community and the fresh, nutritious food," she said in the release.
To celebrate the market's milestone, organizers are inviting other local businesses to create 3D cake sculptures for display at the event.
According to market manager Lyn Weir, sculptures can be made using all kinds of trade materials, and the more creative the better.
Weir said the goal is to highlight the local community that has nurtured the market over the past 20 years.
For the summer season, through Dec. 17, the market is open every Saturday. Summer hours are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. until September, when hours will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market will be open Tuesdays in July, August and September from noon to 5 p.m. January through April, the market is open on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
According to a bi-monthly report, there are 40 vendors this year. The report said there are a few new part-time vendors, including one selling grass-fed venison, a photographer who offers greeting cards and two maple syrup vendors. Organizers expect at least 20 vendors for the Tuesday markets.
The market opened for the season May 7. According to the report, there were 775 shoppers in attendance, and numbers jumped to 825 shoppers for the May 14 market. Organizers said they expect to top 1,000 in June. The report said the numbers are in line with the numbers from the same weekend of the previous year.
This year, the Vendor Selection Committee implemented new selection rules regarding product diversity and vendor saturation. The goal is product diversity so the market can provide customers with a wide array of items as possible, according to the report. The new rule allows the market to accept applications throughout the year.
In addition to diversifying vendors, the committee also tried to vary its products. According to the report, this is a trend at farmers' markets nationwide.
As markets grow, taking on more farmers, some attention has to be paid to the number of farmers selling the same products with little variation, said the report. According to the report, after much discussion and debate, the new rules were applied to the variety of agricultural businesses using the market as a retail space.
Also this year, under the 20 percent brokering rule, Tauzel Farms is selling tilapia raised by a local fish farmer.
On Aug. 6, the market will host its Zucchini Festival. In 2009, there were four entries in the largest zucchini contest, In 2010, the number of entries tripled to 12. This year, organizers are expecting many more entries thanks to the donation of seeds from the Harris Seed Co. in Rochester. Organizers said they have handed out about 1,500 seed packets intended to "seed the competition." The donation has allowed for outreach to local schools, senior centers, food banks and community and home gardeners.
This will mark the second year The Cooperstown Food Bank has participated in a voucher program with the market. This year, the coupons will be used for produce only from the end of May until October.
The market has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to accept EBT cards. Training sessions required to institute EBT services are under way.
The market was founded in 1991 by the nonprofit organization Otsego 2000. Its philosophy, according to its website, is to encourage agricultural private enterprise that exists in a mutually beneficial relationship with downtown merchants.
Visit otsego2000.org/farmersmarket/index_new.htm to see a calendar of events or to learn more about the market.
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