Alliance Farmers' Market to open new season on June 16 downtown

By Laurie Huffman, The Review

Final Farmers' Market of the year to be held on Saturday

By STEPHANIE UJHELYI
The Review

As the Alliance Farmers' Market opens Saturday for the final time this year, organizers look back on its third season as another resounding success.

Nowhere else in the city can you visit local growers and purchase fresh herbs, fruits and cheeses, while listening to folk music from local players, against the backdrop of a red caboose, as you can at Saturday's Farmers' Market during the summer months.

Saturday, Alliance patrolman Don Bartolet once again distributed gun locks, officer trading cards and plenty of print materials focused on safety from the table set up by the Alliance Police Department in front of its flashy Dodge Charger. When the Alliance Fire Department's fully loaded fire engine showed up and took its place on Mechanic Street on market day, it definitely drew some interest -- even from Patrolman Bartolet's youthful helpers.

Organizers report that although this Farmers' Market season has resulted in fewer vendors, as the harvest dwindles and the growing season comes to a close, there is still plenty of variety for buyers who come to shop the fresh local food products offered for sale.

This past Saturday market visitors enjoyed learning the steps of contra dancing to the sounds of the Tyghtly Wounde Strynge Band. The band, featuring Celtic and early American musical selections with the sounds of the fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar, will return to the market this Saturday.

Beth Grat and Martha McClaugherty will return this weekend to call some more tunes for those who would like to step to their lively music.

Berny Salsa of Sebring, Ornery Goat Dairy of Ravenna, DeHoff's Greenhouse and Shady Lane Bakery were among the various vendors there Saturday.

Hometown favorite Snyder's Orchard, located halfway between Sebring and Alliance, had plenty of apple varieties, including Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Jonathan, Cortland and Honey Crisp, for sale, as well as apple cider, the perfect fall beverage.

The cider jugs, labeled from Hays Orchard in Columbiana, contain the product from Snyder's apples. "It is worth the extra dollar to get the good stuff," a saleswoman at the booth noted.

This being the last weekend does not mean the vendors are out of stock. There is still a bountiful supply of pumpkins, colorful gourds, late summer squash, apples and corn husks.

"Music at the Market" will close out the year with another performance by the Tyghtly Wounde Strynge Band.

Dawn Wagner, RD/LD, will host the last of the market's "Healthy Alliance" food series with "Cooking with Harvest Fruits and Vegetables." Wagner will be preparing stuffed roasted pumpkin for market visitors to sample.

The community table area will feature one of the Alliance area's newest non-profit organizations, Green Alliance. This nonprofit supports community gardens, bike racks, recycling, sustainable living and much more. Visit the group's table at the market to find more information.

Elder-Beerman coupon booklets will still be available for purchase this Saturday. Coupon booklets will benefit the market and also are good for shopping in the store on Nov. 11 and 12.

The Sustainable Alliance Festival continues through Oct. 25. A calendar of events is available online at www.greenallianceohio.org or at the booth next to the caboose.

Ginny Daniel, one of those who helps organize the market each year, noted that it is typical to see a drop-off near the end of the season, but noted that there are still plenty of items to purchase. This year, vendors selling chicken, beef and pork were on hand, and there are hopes of adding egg vendors next season.

Daniel added that she is very appreciative of everyone who comes to the Saturday market, but says she continues to be surprised about the many people who are still unaware of Alliance's fruit and fresh produce-filled Saturday mornings in downtown Alliance.

"Despite the articles in the newspaper and even word of mouth, a lot of people still don't know we are down here," she said.

The outdoor Alliance Farmers' Market opens for the final day of the season from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the caboose parking lot, located at the corner of Main Street and Mechanic Avenue in downtown Alliance.

Many thanks from the Market Committee go out to all of those who attended the market this year; it made for a special, successful and fun year. The market will resume next season during the early weeks of June.

For more information about the Alliance Farmers' Market, visit on the Web at www.alliancefarmersmarket.com.

Farmers' market is set to open

The Review

Just a few years ago, people expressed a growing concern about downtown Alliance and how it would remain viable in the 21st century.

Today, people still express a growing concern for the area, but this time they refer to the purchasing of freshly grown local foods from area growers as the fourth annual Alliance Farmers' Market makes its return to downtown Alliance on Saturday.

Happily, the farmers' market is a "growing concern," and we anticipate that again it will be the premier locale for shoppers who wish to put into practice the philosophies of local buying and eating promoted in "Plenty," the One Book One Community selection from several years ago.

That book talked about sustainability and the importance of knowing where the food on our tables originates. Today, more than ever, there is value in supporting local growers for the benefits it reaps both in our communities and for our health.

This year's market will be enlivened by Art in the Parking lot, a collection of art objects and sharing of music behind the CFA cat museum at East Main Street and Arch Avenue.

Both the Farmers' Market and the art fest make downtown Alliance the place to be on Saturdays through Oct. 15. We hope our readers will shop there frequently, mix and mingle with vendors and organizers, and tell their friends about another wonderful opportunity downtown.

Alliance Farmer's Market has new items to open 4th season

By LAURIE HUFFMAN
The Review

There is nothing that can compare with the produce grown right here every year in the Heartland. While we used to have to try to scout out farmers around the area who sold their surplus vegetables, eggs and other locally farmed and grown items, we can now just meander through row upon row of vendors set up in our own farmers market, located in the parking lot at the red caboose at Main Street and Mechanic Avenue in downtown Alliance.

The Alliance Farmers’ Market is about to begin its fourth season. Every Saturday, starting this weekend and continuing through Oct. 15, the public will have an opportunity to buy directly from local market vendors returning this season with locally grown and produced fruits, vegetables, honey, maple syrup, flowers, herbs, goat cheese, salsa, baked goods and pet treats.

Also, according to Meg Mundy, president of the Alliance Farmers’ Market, new to the market this season are vendors Bill Brown of Brown Brothers Farm of Minerva. offering free-range chickens and turkeys; Elva Hostetler with breads, pies, cinnamon rolls and coffee cake; and Katherine Hostetler with baked cookies.  

Music is also provided for the pleasure of the shoppers, and on Saturday Mary Pusateri will play folk and contemporary selections. A demonstration on eating right with color, based on the new dietary guidelines, will be given by Dawn Wagner, RD/LD, as part of the market’s eight-part series on healthy eating and nutrition. Information tables will also be set up by the Downtown Events Commission and Rodman Public Library Bookmobile.

“We have a full calendar of events covering music, food, dance and how-to demos this season,” said Mundy. “And our community table area is filling fast, so any groups wishing to reserve a table at the market should contact us soon.”

One of the vendors who will bring locally grown chickens and baked goods to the market attests to the fact the vegetables, while not certified organic, are grown with 100 percent organic methods.

“Our farm is way too small to even think about becoming certified for organic produce,” said Anne Taub, owner of the farm with her husband, Russell. “We will have heirloom tomatoes and peppers, and breads baked with only organic ingredients, if possible. We are getting our butter for our baked goods from a dairy farm in Minerva, our honey comes from Marshall’s Apiary of Alliance, and our flour is all organic and comes from a company in Pennsylvania.”

Anne and Russell came to Alliance from California about two-and-a-half years ago. Both graduates of Oberlin College, they have good friends here, Keith and Kate McMahon, who have been involved in a community-supported agriculture operation in Homeworth for at least 20 years. 

“It’s satisfying,” said Anne of her new life as a farmer. “But, it’s hard. Organic farming is a very difficult process ... We also have a small farm, so we have to borrow a tractor twice a year as well just to keep going.”

Yet, Grassy Treeland Farm, named for the Taubs by one of their grandsons, is continuing to grow and they bake healthy foods and raise their own chickens in a completely organic way. They are also a hit with their grandsons, Gavin and Justin, when they visit here from California.

The Alliance Farmers’ Market calendar is available to view online at alliancefarmersmarket.com. Also, weekly summaries of all things going on at the market will be provided to the public through feature stories being prepared by Alexandrea Guenther, a communications major at the University of Mount Union, to be published in The Review.

Anyone who has any questions about the market or who would like to find out how to become a vendor may contact Ginny Daniel, Alliance Farmers’ Market secretary, at 330-821-7712.

Alliance Farmers' Market wraps up third season

By LAURIE HUFFMAN
The Alliance Review

Anyone who has not made it downtown to the Alliance Farmers’ Market yet will have to wait until next spring as the season wrapped up on Saturday. The market, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, has grown steadily each year. This year, in its third season, some new vendors added even more variety to the already large selection with the free-range chickens and eggs, goat cheese, salsa, and additional vegetable and bakery items they brought in.

This season began on June 19, and according to Ginny Daniel, one of the nine members on the organizing committee, foot traffic improved this year along with vendor sales. Daniel said they are looking forward to having the Ohio Direction Card, or food stamp, program again next year, as it has been very well utilized. The market will participate with WIC and Stark County Area on Aging senior coupon programs again as well.

“We are hoping to expand our vegetable and bakery selections, so if anyone has any specialty, or niche items, not handled at the market yet, we would love them to bring them in next year,” said Daniel.

Some of the things that set the Alliance Farmers’ Market apart from many others is the fact that the market only utilizes local growers, musical entertainment is provided by a variety of local musicians, there are a wide array of fresh products and educational sessions, and demonstrations are included each week.

The market is sponsored by University of Mount Union, Alliance Community Hospital, The Alliance Review and WDPN 1310 AM Radio and is located in the parking lot at the corner of East Main Street and Mechanic Avenue, at the red caboose. For more information, or contact data, visit www.alliancefarmersmarket.com.

Alliance Farmers' Market kicks off its third season

By LAURIE HUFFMAN
The Alliance Review

The Alliance Farmers' Market, which kicked off its third season on Saturday, recently received a 501(C)3 rating with the federal government designating it a nonprofit organization and allowing it to receive donations.

Ginny Daniel, secretary, and Meg Mundy, president of the organization, said the event went very well this weekend and there were a lot of customers who helped the vendors take in approximately $3,800 during the three-hour market day. With a total of 18 vendors, the market has grown considerably since its debut on the first Saturday during the first year with only six vendors.

The market was filled with early produce, such as lettuces, beets, green beans, carrots, onions, potatoes and tomatoes, along with fresh fruit such as apples and berries.

Produce and fruit vendors included large producers like Snyders Orchard, of Alliance, and Maize Valley and Brenckle Farms, both of Hartville, as well fresh products brought in by a variety of smaller, local farmers.

Vendors who brought non-produce items to the market included Marshall Apiary, of Alliance, which sells locally produced honey and bees wax candles; Marcia's Baked Goods for Pets, of the Sebring area; Ornery Goat Dairy, of Atwater, which produces goat milk and goat cheese; Docaditos, of Stark County, which produces homemade salsa, bean dip, guacamole and chocolate-covered strawberries; Tri-County Growers, with fresh eggs and chicken products; and Tri-Pine Farm selling frozen beef and pork. A large selection of homemade baked goods by local vendors was also to be found.

Mundy said the market was originally begun to bring local produce to Alliance, which is why those who involved in organizing it wear T-shirts that say "I'm a locavore" on the back. The term "locavore" stands for someone who supports eating locally grown foods.

"Now that we are a nonprofit organization, one of our goals is to provide an educational component," Mundy also explained. A calendar of events is available on the website at alliancefarmersmarket.com that includes scheduled musical performances. Demonstrations will be offered weekly and community tables will also be set up.

Next Saturday, Michelle Fergason and Friends will perform folk music and classic favorites, Mundy noted, and the first segment of an eight-part Healthy Alliance nutrition program will begin with the help of Dawn Wagner, a registered dietitian from Alliance Community Hospital.

The Alliance Farmers' Market is open from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the red caboose on East Main Street and Mechanic Avenue in downtown Alliance, and it will continue through Oct. 16.

Daniel reminds the public that Ohio Direction Cards can also be utilized, and the Alliance Health Department will give coupons to be used at the market to WIC clients. The Stark County Area Agency on Aging also offered coupons to senior citizens, although those may already be depleted.

For more information about the market, contact Ginny Daniel at 330-821-7712 or visit www.alliancefarmersmarket.com. Shoppers at the farmers' market may also sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter.

By STEPHANIE UJHELYI

The Review

City officials deemed this year's Alliance Fanners' Market a bona fide success and made it official with a congratulatory proclamation.

Councilman Sue Ryan, D- at large, told her colleagues at Alliance City Council that the market wrapped up the season Saturday and reported overall sales of nearly $75,000.

Organizers estimate that between 300 and 400 individuals frequented the market, which sold between $3,000 and $5,000, weekly.

Ryan recognized some of' the key contributions during this year's Fanners' Market season, including the sale of around $2,000 in fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to low-income patrons using Ohio Direction cards.

She also noted the improved community participation, including representation from Alliance police, fire and hospital personnel, as well as the presence of the Rodman Public Library bookmobile.

This year, weekly music performances were provided, thanks to funding from ArtsInStark, as well as weekly demos. “It was really wonderful to see everything come together,” Ryan added.

The proclamation passed unanimously.

Farmers’ Market to Celebrate Grand Opening on July 4

ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Alliance Farmers’ Market will be celebrating its grand opening with a variety of community highlights on Saturday, July 4 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Mayor Toni Middleton will present the cutting of the ribbon at 9 a.m. and Pat Stone, director of Rodman Public Library and a member of the One Book One Community Committee, will be giving a history of the Market at 10 a.m.

During the grand opening, The Alliance Community Hospital will be providing free blood pressure checks and The Alliance Police Department will be providing free bike licenses for those who register at the Farmers' Market. They will also be giving away free bike locks and gun locks.

“Music at the Market,” sponsored by Arts in Stark, will be providing the local folk talent, “Rock, Salt and Nails.”  Barrie Kridler of Kridler Gardens will give a demonstration of hanging baskets and containers for summer-to-fall-color.  The Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center will have representatives displaying summer activities available for children and adults.

The Market kicked off on June 20 and will continue until October 17. It has been successful with a variety of vendors featuring vegetables, fruits, plants, local honey, baked goods, freezer beef and pork and homemade pet treats. Customers who have the Ohio Direction Card are able to shop at The Market thanks to a grant from the USDA.

The Farmers’ Market is held at the corner of Main and Mechanic in the Caboose parking lot.  For further information, contact Ginny Daniel at (330) 821-7712 or visit the Market’s website at www.alliancefarmersmarket.com.

Click here to read an article about Brenckle Farm and the Alliance Farmers' Market from the American Vegetable Grower magazine.

ALLIANCE --The second annual Alliance Farmers’ Market will be opening on Saturday, June 20 and will run through October 17. The Market is located in the caboose parking lot at the corner of Main and Mechanic featuring a wide variety of vegetable, flower and herb plants, local honey, delicious baked goods, freezer beef and pork, early veggies, and homemade pet treats.  

Additional vendors will be joining the market as the season continues.  Market organizers are planning to build on last year’s foundation of success where, during Saturdays in the summer and fall, customers were able to meet friends, enjoy demonstrations and musical entertainment, and shop for delicious fresh, homegrown foods all in one place.

Organizers are pleased with the vendor response so far, with many of the same vendors back for their second year.  The market is looking to expand and is still in need of vendors who raise strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or cherries as well as those who make cheeses or sell fresh or frozen chicken raised on a local farm.  

“Last year at this time we weren’t sure how to Farmers’ Market would be received,” Harry Paidas, one of the organizers, said.  “After an unbelievable first year, we enter year-two more confident and with more vendors.  This year’s Market will be expanded to include a variety of vendors and activities.  We are intent on making the Farmers’ Market the place to be in Alliance on Saturday mornings.”

For the opening day, traditional Celtic and Early American music will be provided by the Dennis Kempthorne and John Whitacre of the Tytely Wounde Stryng Band.  “Music at the Market” is available through a grant from Arts in Stark.  A demonstration of container gardening with vegetables and herbs will be provided by Kridler Gardens.

Alliance Kiwanis and the Stark County Bike Club will offer bicycle safety tips and host a free bicycle and helmet inspection to all riders who come wearing their helmets.

Fred Hanacek will present information on growing tomatoes as Stark County Master Gardeners will be available to answer gardeners’ questions from 10 to 10:45 a.m.

This summer, the Alliance Farmers’ Market is able to accept Ohio Direction Cards through a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and select vendors will accept WIC coupons for fruit and vegetable purchases.

For further information, contact Ginny Daniel at 330-821-7712.