Bath Farmer’s Market Returns on a Pilot Basis

A Bath County farmers’ market was once a summertime staple, and thanks to a partnership between Virginia Cooperative Extension and Bath Community Hospital, that tradition is returning this year on a limited test basis.

“Hi, this is Kari Sponaugle with Virginia Cooperative Extension. I’m with the Highland County and the Bath County Extension offices, and on behalf of Lori Hicks from Bath Community Hospital, we are together here today to talk about the reviving of a Bath Community Farmer’s Market.”

She explained the reasons behind the return.

“Well, there’s been some work at the Bath Community Hospital lately on a Food is Medicine initiative, and just in May, they had a Food for Thought mental health fair with lots of vendors and a focus on fresh and mental health, and so stemming from that, we had a miniature farmer’s market at that event at the hospital, and it was a pretty fun time, and we considered it a success, and so from the feedback and the communication we had that day, a market in Bath County would be something folks would like to see, vendors and consumers, and so from that we’ve been hard at work to try and put one of those processes together.”

“And from that we’re gonna try this year as a pilot. We have four days picked out between June and September to have a little miniature pilot market back in the Bath community.”

“Since Lori couldn’t be with me today, she wanted me to make sure that I mentioned that we’re very excited to have this, and we want to see people at the hospital, also when they’re well, and not just when they’re sick. So, we’re also seeing Bath Community Hospital as a community hub, and we also want to see them when they’re healthy, and not just when they need assistance from the hospital, because the hospital can provide services for healthy folks too.”

“And so the miniature market in the pilot program kind of stems from that healthy living aspect of the community, and we have lots of farmers and local vendors around that can supply fresh food, and our focus is on fresh. We are looking for vendors for this market, and applications are open right now. What we want to focus on this year are fresh fruits and vegetables, cut and potted flowers, eggs and frozen meats, baked goods that don’t require refrigeration, dehydrated herbs, mixes, granola, nuts, and popcorn, maple syrup, and honey, jams and jellies, and acidified foods, as well as pet treats. So we want to focus on fresh made, fresh grown, and that’s our focus for the year.”

“And applications are available from me, Kari at the extension offices, either in Highland or Bath. You can call me 468-2225 or 839-7261. You can also email me, karis@vt.edu, and we would love to have your application to be a vendor. We had three vendors commit to the mini market during the Food for Thought event, and we would love to see more. We do have limited space, so it’s the first 10 vendors that get back to us, and we hope it’s a fun time.”

She talked about this year’s schedule.

“We’re gonna try for Mondays, and our dates for the market, they’re going to be 1:00 – 3:00, so we’re thinking a late lunch. So, if you can make it down to the hospital and have a late lunch from work, you could visit us from 1:00 – 3:00 on June the 29^th, July the 27^th, August the 24^th, and September 28^th.  And this year, we’re going to see how it goes. We will have a meeting in October to take feedback on how it went, so we just appreciate the positivity and the sharing of this effort. We really hope something positive comes out of this, and our community rallies around it, because farmers’ markets are a place that we should be able to commune in a rural area to get fresh food and support each other. Let’s hope it grows into something even better than our pilot program this summer.”

If you are interested in being a vendor…

“June 19th is when applications are due. June 26th is when you’ll be notified that you’re approved. There is a small vendor fee this year. We just ask a little bit of commitment on that, and you can pay for all four markets in advance, or you can pay for each market as you arrive. And we’re going to let you know the week of June 26th that you’re approved. And then June 29^th, we’ll have our first market.”