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Weekly farmers’ markets underway in Charleston, Sikeston
CHARLESTON, Mo. — Eleven-year-old Matthew Renaud gets up early most Wednesdays in the summer to help his grandfather sell produce at the Charleston Farmers’ Market at A.D. Simpson Park.
A retired farmer, David Renaud said selling the produce at the farmers’ market is good for his mind and good for his grandson.
“He and his sister help me a lot,” Renaud said of Matthew and his younger sister, who was present on Wednesday. “Matthew can tell you all about these items.”
On Wednesday, the grandson-grandfather duo had for sale pickled beets, black berries, pecans, squash, beets and cucumbers, and as the season goes on, they’ll add other produce.
“It’s worked out great,” Renaud said.
Plus, the two get to spend time together, he said. Any produce they have left over, they take to the food bank, Renaud said.
The Charleston park, located off South Main Street, is the farmers’ market site 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesdays through August and its large trees provide enough shade for both vendors and shoppers. There’s also a covered sheltered that can be utilized when it rains.
Weekly offerings typically include zucchini, yellow squash, beets, jalapenos, spinach, Swiss chard, local honey, ear cones, sorghum, fresh baked goods, small plants and more, according to Karen Teeters, executive director of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce,
The seasonal farmers’ markets has been offered in Charleston for nine years, she said.
“Initially we chose Wednesday afternoon because the only other farmer’s market in the area was Sikeston, and theirs was on Saturday so we wanted to pick mid-week to give our vegetable and fruit vendors more time to let something ripen and give them a mid-week market,” Teeters said.
The market is now offered in the morning because there are less thunderstorms, and vegetables travel nicer in the mornings, she said.
“Also, this park has a ball field, and sometimes it’s used for ballgames in the afternoons, and we don’t want it to be parked full when people come to buy something,” Teeters said. “It works well and we love our big shade trees.”
Vendors can show up the day of the market and the fee is $5/day to cover the cost of setup and insurance, Teeters said. Goods for the farmers’ market must be homegrown or handmade, she said.
Teeters noted the City of Charleston is applying for a grant for a farmers’ market pavilion. Preliminary designs are calling for a 60 by 100-foot open structure at A.D. Simpson Park. It could also be used for other community events.
“This park is highly under utilized, but the location is great,” Teeters said. “The bathrooms are here. There’s ample off-road parking and right off the Main Street and close to the interstate.”
Vendors can show up the day of the farmers’ market setup fee is $5 per day, which helps pay for insurance and advertising of the event.
Teeters said recently the Chamber started offering “Trade Days” from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. the second Saturday of the month from May through October at A.D. Simpson Park. Set up similar to a farmers’ market, the trade days is a general market and vendors can sell anything from livestock to yard sale-type wares.
“As long as it’s not a contraband, illegal item and as long as it’s family-related, you can sell it,” Teeters said, adding most will pay $5 per day.
For example, in the first month, items sold ranged from handmade jewelry to antiques to small farm animals (goats, geese, dove, chickens), Teeters said.
Historic Downtown Sikeston hosts its weekly farmers’ market from 7 a.m. to sellout, which is usually around 11 a.m., every Saturday from May through October at Legion Park.
Jason Davis, executive director of Historic Downtown Sikeston, said so far the market season is going fairly well.
“We just got produce about two weeks ago,” Davis said. “We’ve had jams and jellies, pickled items and baked goods. Now the produce is starting to come out and that’s helping.”
Davis said shoppers can expect to see between 12 and 20 vendors each week at the Sikeston market.
“We have some new vendors this year. We have someone making homemade specialty lemonade and another doing homemade dog treats. We have honey again, too,” Davis said.
Vendors can pay $2-fee for a license for one day, or $25 for the year, he said.
Sue Ziegenhorn of Sikeston was on hand Wednesday in Charleston, selling her baked goods which included breads, cookies and cinnamon rolls. She also had some house plants and handmade items.
“It’s wonderful,” said Ziegenhorn of the Charleston market. “Customers like that a lot of the things we make are natural and home grown. They like that they’re purchasing from home grown merchants or that our products use natural ingredients.”
Gaye Ann Bloyd of East Prairie agreed. She sells local honey and beeswax products each week, too. She said she has repeat customers each week as well as new ones who often want to purchase honeycomb, honey and sorghum.
Both Bloyd and Ziegenhorn also sell at the Sikeston farmers’ market each week and encourage community members to support the farmers’ markets by “buying local.”
“We appreciate the business,” Bloyd said. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”