Whether a farmers market originally scheduled to begin earlier this month in Thomas Knight Park will open at all this season is still an unknown.
The market’s opening was postponed when the farmers didn’t sign up as expected, according to City Councilor Rosemarie De Angelis.
On the city’s end everything was ready for the market to open Aug. 6: Pavement had been ripped up to reveal original cobblestones and trolley tracks, according to City Manager Jeff Jordan, and new city ordinances were passed opening the way the market in Knightville.
But, the three or four farmers who originally showed interest backed out because of concerns over the short season and whether it was worth it for them, according to De Angelis. The ultimate plan for the market would have 10 stalls for farmers to use.
Roger Doiron from the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine said timing the opening of farmers markets is always tricky.
“It’s easy to forget that farms are small businesses that, like any other commercial entity, prefer to plan out where and how they’re going to sell their products before producing them,” he said.
South Portland resident Sam Kelly brought the prospect of launching a farmers market in South Portland to the attention of De Angelis. There had been a farmers market at the Maine Mall up until last year, according to De Angelis, but it was not a city-sponsored event. “When it didn’t happen this year we became interested in doing our own,” she said.
Kelly could not be reached for comment before the Current went to press.
De Angelis said she hoped, “if at all possible,” the market would be able to open this season, “but at this point I don’t have an answer to that.”
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