Columbus County Farmers Market Opens Tomorrow

The News Reporter There’ll be fresh vegetables galore available beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday as the Columbus County Community Farmers Market officially begins its 7th year of offering locally grown fruits and vegetables to the public. The market is located in Government Complex off U.S. 701 Business north of Whiteville and thus far has 14 area growers signed up to sell this summer. The market is open from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Some of the vendors have manned their sales stalls every year since the market began operations in downtown Whiteville. Growers can sign up to sell at the market for the entire sales season or can rent their spaces by the day. This is the second year that the market will operate in its new $125,000 sales shed, which has covered spaces for 20 vendors. The new building, with bathrooms, was built with grants from the Tobacco Settlement Fund. Irving Brown of the Mt. Olive community is president of the market. “We think were going to have a fairly good variety,” he said of the produce expected to be on hand for the opening day. In the past two Saturdays, a few growers have been using the sales space at the market and have reported brisk sales. Items offered included mustard, turnips, potatoes, strawberries, beets, onions, garden peas, snow peas, jams and jellies, bamboo shoots, tomatoes and other greenhouse crops. Members of the market recently held a clean-up day to prepare the building for the coming sales season. “We’ve got it cleaned up and things are pretty much in shape for the season,” Brown said. Stop by and support our local farmers.