About Us – History of the Market

For Comparison Purposes Only

Originally Created and published on 4-26-2018 by Kim Chelf

Montgomery Farmer’s Market was started in 2010 by a group of graduates from the Montgomery Community Leadership Academy (MCLA).  That first market was located at [ask Stuart?].  The market officially began on June 5, 2010 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

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Ribbon Cutting, June 5, 2010

In 20[??] the market moved to it’s current location in the parking lot of Montgomery Elementary School.  Over the years, the market has grown in number of vendors and number of customers.  We now have anywhere from 25-30 vendors each week along with a musician and a food truck.  At the height of the summer season, around 1,500 customers will shop with us each Saturday.

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A Photo from the 2017 Market Season

In 2017, the market expanded again, opening our first winter market at Montgomery Presbyterian Church during the months of November and December.  Because of the success of that market, the plan is to continue the Winter Market into 2018 and beyond.

Farm to Table

In 2015, the market hosted the first of two Farm to Table events at the Peter Loon Foundation.  Local chef Ethan Snider cooked a meal made entirely from local produce.  The guests were entertained by a local musician and treated to wine and local beer.  To see photos from the 2015 event, visit our Events Page.

Credit Card & SNAP Acceptance

For the first seven seasons, the market was cash only-with a few vendors accepting credit cards at their own discretion.  In June of 2017, the market began accepting credit cards as well as SNAP benefits.  Along with SNAP acceptance, the market also joined the Produce Perks program which doubles SNAP benefits (up to $10 per day) to be used on fresh fruits and vegetables.  Learn more about SNAP at the market here.

Governing Structure

The market is run by a board of directors.  There are currently six board members while in the past the board has had anywhere from three to seven members.  The board is all volunteer, with many members being MCLA graduates.  The board receives applications and reviews them before deciding which vendors to approve.  They make any changes to market policy and deal with any issues as they arise. The board works closely with the market manager to plan, coordinate, and run the Summer and Winter markets.

While the board is all volunteer, we do pay a part time manger for the market.  The manager is responsible for the day to day operation of the market as well as overseeing set up and break down on Saturdays.  They maintain the market schedule and often act as a liaison between the vendors and the market board.