Farmer’s Market Tops in State, Region; Expansion, Halloween Contest Discussed

MOSCOW – The Farmers Market Commission at its regular meeting Tuesday approved hosting the sixth annual Halloween Costume Contest on Oct. 25. The board also announced the market’s first-place finish in the Idaho state and Pacific region categories of a national competition.

The market will be held on Jackson Street, rather than Main, this Saturday, Oct. 11, to make room for the University of Idaho Homecoming Parade.

American Farmland Trust last week announced winners of its 17th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration, held Aug. 1- Sept. 30. More than 60,000 votes were cast for 1,263 markets nationwide. 

With 830 votes, the Moscow Farmers Market won in the state and Pacific region, and ranked 15^th in the nation. The Potlatch Farmers Market earned second place in the state. Learn more at https://farmland.org/blog/american-farmland-trust-announces-winners-of-the-17th-annual-americas-farmers-market-celebration.

The Halloween Costume Contest will be 9 a.m.-noon at the final market of the season, Oct. 25. Registration in six categories is in Friendship Square; contestants will be photographed before judging, so need not be present to win. Winners will be announced via social media and honored at the Nov. 3 City Council meeting on the second floor of City Hall, 206 E. Third St. 

Find more information on the Moscow Farmers Market Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MoscowFarmersMarket.

In other business, the commission briefly discussed: 

* possible expansion of the market onto Fourth Street east to Washington. Commissioners noted some vendors don’t like placement on side streets, but locating a few popular anchor farm vendors there could draw shoppers to those areas. Another challenge is the lack of electricity available along Fourth Street.

“But Fourth is the next evolution of the market, before we consider crossing Third Street to the north,” said commissioner Phil Blankenship. 

* vendors’ frustration with the lengthy time they spend on the market waitlist. The board determined to address this at an upcoming meeting.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Farmers Market Commission will be 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the City Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall, 206 E. Third St.