05/30/2006

The Market at Ag Heritage Park Opens 2006 Season June 1

AUBURN, Ala. — Looking for fresh produce, homemade baked goods, herbs, cut flowers or ornamental plants? You can find all that and much more every Thursday afternoon this summer at The Market at Ag Heritage Park.

The Market is an outdoor farmers’ market that will be held rain or shine each Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m., from June 1 through Sept. 28 at Ag Heritage Park on the Auburn University campus. The Market is open to the public—from AU faculty, staff and students to area residents to tourists—and offers such delights as locally grown fruits and vegetables, honey, ornamental plants, herbs, cut flowers, stone-ground grains, fresh eggs, cheeses, shrimp, salad dressings and much more.

Ag Heritage Park, located at the corner of Samford Avenue and Donahue Drive, is a 30-acre park that is being developed into a community recreation and education site to celebrate the past, present and future of Alabama agriculture. The Market itself is situated in a greenspace at the park. Entry to The Market is on Samford Avenue, across from the AU athletic department complex.

The Market is sponsored by the AU College of Agriculture in partnership with the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn-Opelika Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

Vendors who sell at The Market pay either a small weekly fee or annual season-long licensing fee for a booth. Booths are available to growers who live anywhere in Alabama or who live within 25 miles of the Alabama border. In addition to fresh produce, vendors may sell processed food items, such as canned or baked goods; artisans who have original, high-quality art and crafts also are welcome to submit examples of their work for possible sales at The Market. All vendors must meet locally grown or made qualifications. A list of vendor rules is available upon request.

Civic, community and nonprofit organizations are invited to set up informational and educational booths at The Market. Music and other entertainment events are planned at The Market throughout the season. Performers interested in playing at The Market or groups wishing to set up educational booths can contact market manager, Dani Carroll, for details.

For more information about The Market, contact Carroll at 334-749-3353 or carrodl@auburn.edu or Katie Jackson, The Market’s marketing coordinator, at 334-844-5887 or smithcl@auburn.edu.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu

For immediate release