Farmers Market open for season

The Farmers Market returned early on Saturday at Ridge Ferry Park. This time it featured 12 vendors from Georgia and Alabama bringing a wide variety of goods to the people of Rome.

Vendors lined up around the Ridge Ferry Park Farmers Market pavilion to sell everything from produce to handmade crafts. Customers who arrived at or before the 7 a.m. opening time were able to get first pick at the vendors’ goods.

According to Tony Bone, owner of Lookout Mountain Farms in Gadsden, Alabama, he was sold out of green beans within 30 minutes of the market opening. Bone has been a veteran of the Rome Farmers Market for seven years, and brings several different kinds of produce

Jacquelynne Myers (left) watches as John Myers serves up a sample of their homemade jambalaya mix.

to the market each year including his biggest seller, tomatoes. Every Saturday and Wednesday during the season, Bone travels an hour and a half from his 100-acre farm to sell produce here.

“We can’t wait for them to get here,” customer Brenda Leaves said.

This year’s farmers market is seeing the return John Popham / Rome News-Tribune

of several longtime vendors like Bone, as well as some first-timers. Howard Fox, a resident of Garden Lakes, said this was his first year as a vendor. Fox’s booth featured several of the birdhouses he made in his shop.

“We have some wonderful vendors here today,” said Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Market Manager Anthony Thrash. “This is one well-oiled machine.”

Several booths had samples set up for customers to try before buying, like Jacquelynne and John Myers of Nola French Creole Foods, LLC. They have been selling their authentic New Orleans food mixes and banana bread at the farmers market for three years now.

The market also included booths selling homemade jewelry, freshly cut flowers, homemade salsa, jam, jelly, baked goods, sewn goods, produce, organic steaks, beef, pork, milk and eggs with new additions to come as the summer goes on.

The Rome Farmers Market will run every Saturday and Wednesday from 7-11:30 a.m. ending on Oct. 7. Any new vendor who wishes to participate can fill out an application on the day of the market or can contact Maria DeArmoun at 706-252-1134.