05/04/2009

The Market at Ag Heritage Park Cranks up May 21 at New Site

The Market at Ag Heritage Park will kick off its sixth season Thursday, May 21, at 3 p.m. and will be held every Thursday, from 3 to 6 p.m., through Aug. 27, giving area residents the opportunity to buy locally grown, fresh-from-the farm produce and other products.

But this year, the open-air, growers-only farmers’ market won’t be at its traditional site on Samford Avenue across from the Athletic Complex. The 2009 Market will be located on the other side of Ag Heritage Park’s pond, on the greenspace near the Alfa Farmers Pavilion on Donahue Drive.

Robert Hensarling, Ag Heritage Park director, said the slight change of venue is being made to avoid problems associated with summer construction projects on Samford Avenue and to make the market more accessible to customers.

“This site, located on Donahue between Samford Avenue and Lem Morrison Drive, offers shade trees, grass and better parking and traffic flow opportunities,” he said. “It also makes the pavilion accessible in case of inclement weather.”

As has been the case through its first five seasons, this year’s Market will feature a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables that will change as the summer season progresses, said Market manager Dani Carroll.

“And every week, you’ll find honey, goat cheese, stone-ground grains, baked goods, Alabama-roasted coffee and a wide variety of plants, too,” she said.

Carroll also plans to bring in educational displays and demonstrations, live music and special activities.

For more information on The Market, contact Carroll at 334-749-3353 or carrodl@auburn.edu, or visit ag.auburn.edu/themarket online.

The Market is hosted by Auburn’s College of Agriculture and cosponsored by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

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Contact: Katie Jackson, 334-844-5887 or smithcl@auburn.edu

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)
AgComm@auburn.edu