Fresh vegetables, jams and jellies, homemade treats, health screenings and a short hike kickoff the seventh Vicksburg Farmers’ Market today at the corner of Washington and Jackson streets just south of the Lower Mississippi Museum and Interpretive Center.
Nine vendors offering a selection of goods from vegetables to dairy products and pasta are expected display their wares for sale starting at 8 a.m.
“We’re going to have some new vendors this year, offering some new things besides produce,” said Vicksburg Main Street chairman Kristen Meehan. “We’ll have fresh cheese, plants and heirloom edibles. One vendor, I believe, will have meat.”
Besides the vendors, Shape Up Vicksburg will sponsor a walk around the market, followed by a healthy cooking demonstration with Lady Luck chefs Henry Rodriguez and William Furlong.
The walk around will go east on Jackson Street to Cherry Street, south on Cherry to Grove Street and west on Grove to Washington and the market.
“We’re going to have two routes, a 11/2-mile route and three miles,” Shape Up Vicksburg founder Linda Fondren said. “We’re also going to be doing health screenings, and we’ll also be doing our survey on the city’s health.”
She said the community-wide survey looks at whether people endorse no smoking in buildings and tries to get an overall idea of the community’s health.
The Vicksburg Farmers’ Market is open through July 26 from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The market began in 2008 to provide a venue for farmers, growers and other merchants to sell farm-fresh products and homemade goods. It expanded to include a fall market in 2012.
It has been certified by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce as part of the Mississippi Certified Farmers’ Market Program, and in 2011 the market received a $47,823 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Mississippi Certified Farmers’ Market Program is a marketing initiative designed to identify and promote markets. Markets participating in the voluntary program receive promotional and technical assistance from the state.