For the 2025 season, the Union County Farmers Market returns with a few new features meant to make the shopping experience even better – and a makeover of one big attraction.
Opening day is this Saturday, June 7, and like years past, guests can enjoy Beef Cattle Field Day. The Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource Conservation & Development Council will be present, and visitors can grab a free hamburger beside the Cannery as they browse produce and crafts.
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This season’s beginning crops are the typical choices. Although non-local options will be available like watermelon, cantaloupe and tomatoes, farmers from the area will have squash, zucchini, lettuce, spinach and possibly cabbage.
The Hunter-England Cabin has received a rehaul and will enjoy a ribbon-cutting on June 7 at 11 a.m. The blacksmith shop now has a guide detailing all the antique tools on display, and the garden out front will feature at least two different types of corn.
Additionally, six apple trees, four peach trees and two pear trees were planted to start an orchard, and dahlias as well as wildflowers have been added to support native flora.
“We want to have a sorghum operation going by this fall so you can show people (how it’s processed) from the field to the mill,” said Sole Commissioner Harold Collins, who has worked extensively with Market Manager Dustin “The Rog” Rogers to set up the area.
Questions have been trickling in about the sorghum, and one thing the county, market staff and volunteers want to make clear is that the Sorghum in the Mountains Festival will not be moving to the Farmers Market but will take place at the usual festival grounds inside Meeks Park.
The goal is to get the cane growth and processing demonstrations up and running at the Farmers Market sometime around the last week of September; Rogers likens it to an “introduction” to the festival for market visitors.
“You can explore … how it was in the old days,” said Rogers of the overall cabin experience.
Another disclaimer worth mentioning is that some of the crops showcased at the cabin may not be ready by opening day, and there are plans to add more variety as the summer progresses.
That said, there’s still plenty to see, as the trail leading up to the cabin will be lined this year with more vendors selling their wares out of tents.
Some new quality-of-life features have been added to the regular shopping area. Customers can now utilize an ATM for their purchases if they don’t have cash on-hand, and, courtesy of an anonymous donor, 31 shopping carts will be available for folks who have a lot of groceries to pick up.
Special events are in the works, set to take place throughout the season and advertised about two weeks in advance on either the Farmers Market Facebook page or on the website. For example, Rogers hinted at “theme days,” like decorating in red, white and blue for Saturday, July 5.
Hours of operation have changed, too. Both Saturdays and Tuesdays, the Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., but the old schedule of running from June through October still stands.
So far, about 100 vendors have signed up, so come on out, enjoy opening day and beyond, and support local shopping.
