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market-farming - Re: presentation to Town Council

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "delannw" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: presentation to Town Council
  • Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2000 07:10:50 -0500


I don't have a specific reference for your request but I can tell you about
my experience.

Last year, the Kankakee Development Corporation in Kankakee, Illinois helped
support the development of a Farmers' market. The market is actually USDA
organized but the city of Kankakee really lobbied to get our market into
their downtown area on Saturdays.

Perhaps, like your town, Kankakee is a town trying to recover from loss of
industry, jobs, and an abandaned downtown. The KDC promised us the world
but does the following in support of the Saturday market:

- The city underwrites the liability for the market. The vendors do sign a
"hold harmless" agreement with them in exchange.
- The city pays for and displays a large banner that hangs over a main
street. The banner advertises the market and the dates and hours of
operation.
- The city arranges to have a police officer wander through the market once
in a while. While I don't feel unsafe downtown, there are many people who
do. So, we asked the city if they could convince the police department to
just be a presence as a deterrent to troublemakers and as a good sign to
customers. They got police cooperation and as it turned out, police
officers changing shifts come to the market and are a pretty good source of
business. (Gee, I hope if I ever get pulled over it's by the officer who
loved my Italian sweet peppers!) Also, at the end of the day, when you're
breaking down and trying to keep your cash secure, it's nice to know that
there is an officer watching.
- The city paid for most of the beginning season advertising.
- The city helps us develop other strategies for bringing people to the
market.
(This year, we will have an Artists' Fair on the last Saturday of each
month. We are also inviting local choral groups to perform for an hour
at the market. The city will help organize these since the vendors and our
market master are focussed on selling food during the market. With the city
we are developing an annual Corn Festival.)

It has been very important to have this support in the development of a new
market. While our market group is organized officially as the Kankakee
County Farmers Market Association, the Kankakee Development Corp. helped us
organize a very successful first year. It was good for the city and it was
great for us. They got people into the downtown area for a change and the
vendors had an organized, well advertised market. It was good for
everyone...all the way around.








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