TIFTON – A successful spring and summer at the Wiregrass Farmers Market is winding down with two Saturdays left in the season.
The market, open each Saturday from 9 a.m. – noon at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture, started independently in 2011. It was gifted to ABAC’s School of Arts and Sciences in January of 2023, which has given the market a broader audience and community support, according to market manager Randi Hickman.
Hickman, who had been with the market since 2019, said the popularity of the market continues to grow.
“We have already brought in more money in total sales than we did for the entire spring season last year with two more markets still to go,” she said. “We have also had a 26 percent increase in our average number of customers coming to the market each week since last year.”
Hickman said that adding new vendors and events to the market has helped it grow throughout the season and she foresees more growth when the fall market season begins. There are plans to utilize the market as a teaching tool for students in the ABAC Rural Development and Community Planning program in the fall as well.
“We’ve added music at the market with Laura Wiley and Trevor Ward playing throughout the morning and that has made the market even more of a fun experience,” she said. “Laura is an ABAC music major and was the catalyst for getting ‘Music at the Market’ started. We’ve also added several new vendors this year as well. Overall, it’s been a great season and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community and our awesome vendors that come out each week.”
July 29 will be the last market day for the spring season. The fall season is scheduled to kick off the first Saturday in October and run through mid-November.
The Wiregrass Farmer’s Market Facebook page updates its followers regularly with vendor lists, special events, and other information about market happenings.
