Anchored along the South end of the Columbus Soccer Complex, the Hitching Lot Farmers Market continues to provide homegrown and homemade goods three days a week for Lowndes County residents. And about a month before it will close its doors until the early spring of 2013, consumers still descend upon the market at daybreak to line up to purchase the locally grown produce.
“The Hitching Lot Farmers Market has been organized by Main Street Columbus since 2008, but it has been operated prior to that by the city for dozens of years,” said Main Street Columbus Director Amber Brislin. “We had a major revitalization effort in 2006 to get the market to where it is today.”
The market is funded through city funds appropriated through Main Street Columbus, which received $15,000 in 2012 and will receive the same funding in Fiscal Year 2013. The county is also a stakeholder in the market as it was the major contributor to the $5 million needed to fund the soccer park. The county also helped the city with re-paving the parking lot at the Hitching Lot. The funding for the overlaying came from some unused general obligation bond money the city had received for repairing streets within its six wards.
“The city and the county joined together and re-paved the parking lot for us,” Brislin said. “Everything is completed except for the striping and that should be completed soon. It looks really nice and it was done to coincide with the opening of the soccer complex. We are thrilled with the addition of the new sports complex and feel confident that this already has and will continue to add to not only the Hitching Lot, but to our thriving and award winning downtown.”
The Hitching Lot Farmers Market is a Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Certified Farmers Market, as are the West Point Farmers Market and the Starkville Community Market. To become certified, certain criteria must be met. The guidelines are legislated through Mississippi Code 69-7-109.
“We serve as a community gathering place and offer the best in locally-grown produce and locally and handmade and homemade baked and canned goods and crafts,” said Brislin. ” All produce sold at the market must be grown by the seller within 50 miles of the market and all crafts must be homemade. Our season, which lasts three days a week through the end of October, reaches its peak in the high-producing summer months. We also have a volunteer advisory committee that meets monthly to discuss the market and how we can improve it.”
Brislin said all fees collected at the market go to the city. Sales tax is not applied to vendors who sell locally-farmed produce.
“We keep the vendor fees nominal so it does not hinder any participation,” said Brislin. “Fees are $3 for daily vendors and $100 for annual vendors. This means they have a reserved space for every operating day of the market season. The economic impact of the market is significant and, most importantly, adds a quality of life value for Lowndes County and the surrounding areas and offers a marketplace for healthy choices for our citizens.”
While similar markets in West Point and Starkville have closed for the year, Hitching Lot Vendors said it continues to thrive.
“We have had our best year ever,” said Scott Enlow of Black Creek Farms in Columbus. “Of course we planted more this year than we have done in the past. We are constantly trying new things. We grow a lot of things that aren’t common in this area. We sold a lot of peppers, okra and tomatoes. We will be selling greens from the house when the market season ends. We definitely plan on coming back next year.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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