Crittenden County Farmers Market celebrates final event of inaugural season Sept. 14
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Aug. 30, 2024
Fast Facts:
- Market started in June featuring local vendors
- Program supported by Crittenden County extension, Arkansas High Obesity Prevention program
- 14 market will feature free yoga instruction, touch-a-truck event for families
(1,135 words)
(Newsrooms: With art)
MARION, Ark. — Community members from Marion, West Memphis and surrounding areas will have one last chance to visit the new Crittenden County Farmers Market at its final event of the season on Sept. 14. The market will feature a seed swap, a free yoga session and a touch-a-truck event for families.
Vendors will include fresh flowers from the Flower Girls, canned goods from the Huskey Family Homestead, fresh sourdough loaves from Better Off Bread and several other local vendors offering their handmade wares. The market will be at the Crittenden County Courthouse Square in Marion, Arkansas, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
One of the market’s sponsors, Cliff Carter’s Body Shop, will bring a tow truck and race car to the Courthouse Square for families to see up close. The touch-a-truck event will also feature a City of Marion firetruck as well as a dump truck, semi-truck and tractor from local businesses.
Morgan Chrestman, Crittenden County extension family and consumer sciences agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and director of the farmers market, said she hopes to see a large turnout at the event to help get people excited for the market’s return next year.
“I really encourage folks from Marion, West Memphis, Horseshoe Lake and all of our surrounding neighbors to come out for the market,” Chrestman said. “It’s a great opportunity to grab some delicious food, check out our vendors and come together as a community.”
Bringing neighbors together
Chrestman said the farmers market has received a positive response since it kicked off in May, with several vendors selling out of their inventory at each event.
“It’s been really cool to see our extension clients, our farmers and master gardeners and steady participants, come out to the markets,” she said. “Those people usually bring a friend, and it’s a good group. We’ve also had some people from areas further out in the county, like Earle and Horseshoe Lake. People are coming into town to come to the market.”
Though Marion and neighboring West Memphis are geographically near, Chrestman explained that Crittenden County can often feel divided between the two places.
“There’s always been this tug of war between West Memphis and Marion,” she said. “You get this stigma that only Marion people come to Marion things, and only West Memphis people come to West Memphis things.”
But at the new Crittenden County Farmers Market, Chrestman said she’s seen people come from both cities to enjoy the event.
“It’s just really great to see an eclectic mix of people from all over the county, from different backgrounds and age groups,” Chrestman said. “A lot of the time, it’s more divided, so I’m hoping we will see more of this going forward.”
A community investment
For Chrestman, the final market of the season will be a celebration of the hard work and community support that helped bring the market to life.
“In Crittenden County, we don’t have a county fair like most do in extension,” Chrestman said. “Our community has needed something that was specific to our county, something that would celebrate what makes us unique.”
In 2023, Chrestman began generating interest in creating a farmers market for the county, bringing on local sponsors for the event. In early 2024, Crittenden County extension began working with the Arkansas High Obesity Prevention program, a Cooperative Extension Service initiative. The program works to address obesity in eleven Arkansas counties through nutrition education, increasing access to physical activity opportunities and creating a network of local health advocates.
Grant funding through the ArHOP program helped bring the farmers market to fruition, as did the support of community members and organizations. Chrestman said Barrett McCollum, agency manager of the Crittenden County Farm Bureau, has been a dedicated supporter of the farmers market project.
“Farm Bureau has been 100 percent behind us from day one,” Chrestman said. “Barrett called me and said, ‘Whatever you need, we’re here to help. We want this in Crittenden County.’”
McCollum said Farm Bureau’s support of the market is part of how the organization “advocates for our farmers on a local, state and national level.”
“When Morgan approached me about sponsoring a Farmers Market here in Marion, I saw it as an opportunity to promote agricultural literacy in our community and enhance the well-being of Crittenden County and other rural communities throughout the state,” he said. “We have the perfect location for such an event, and I am looking forward to seeing it grow and showcase all our area has to offer.”
Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless has also advocated for the market — and for Chrestman’s passion for the project — since its inception.
“Extension is blessed to have employees like Morgan,” Wheeless said. “She is always thinking of ways to touch as many people as possible in our county through extension programs. When she presented the idea of a farmers market to me, I immediately thought, ‘How great is this!’ I offered the county court square as a location to host the event.
“The response from the community has been great, and the event is growing,” he continued. “It was important for me to help with this because we need to reach out and support our county, and this is one example of how it can be done.”
An ArHOP grant will support the market for five years. Chrestman said her community has also formed a board and established nonprofit status for the market, helping to ensure its future beyond the grant funding. The board includes representatives from Farm Bureau and Cliff Carter’s Body Shop, as well as Chamber of Commerce members from Marion and West Memphis.
Hope for the future
When the market returns next summer, Chrestman said she hopes to offer more fresh, local produce. She also wants to provide cooking demonstrations to show patrons how to create meals with their market purchases.
“I want people to go home and use those fresh items to make something delicious, maybe something they’ve never had before,” Chrestman said.
Mishanna Lanes, extension family and consumer sciences regional program associate and member of the ArHOP program team, said she hopes the market will accept SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, next year. The Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention also offers a Double Up Food Bucks program, which gives SNAP recipients a one-to-one dollar match to purchase local produce at farmers markets in the state. Lanes hopes to offer DUFB at next year’s market as well.
Chrestman said the Crittenden County Farmers Market is a natural fit for the role of extension in the county.
“It really just goes into what we’re already doing,” she said. “We’re already helping people with their food safety questions, and we’re already doing community outreach and economic development. I love getting to see all these community members, the people I grew up with. It’s fun, creative, engaging work.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061