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Providing fresh, local food to Columbia MO for 30 years
 
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AgriMissouri
Website maintenance by
Eric Reuter.
All site content is copyright Columbia Farmers Market 2010
P.O. Box 10012
Columbia, MO 65205
columbia_farmers_market@
yahoo.com
(573) 823-6889
 

 

Brief History of the Columbia Farmers Market

Market Overhead
The bustling Columbia Farmers Market in 2007
First organized in 1980, the Columbia Farmers Market has grown to become one of the premier locations for locally grown and produced food, crafts, plants, and more in mid-Missouri. The Market was founded by a small group of farmers who had been selling their wares out of pickup trucks at gas stations and other locations around the city. Desiring a better location, these farmers worked with the Chamber of Commerce, the County Extension, and other groups to officially organize the Market.

Markets were held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday on the County Fairgrounds in Columbia, now the site of the city's Activity & Recreation Center (ARC). Vendors set up beneath a pavilion provided by the Kiwanis Club, offering some shelter for customers and vendors alike. This arrangement worked well, except for two weeks every summer when the market had to vacate the premises when the County Fair was being held.

In 1992, the Fair moved to its current location north of Columbia. All buildings at the old site were torn down, and the Market had to find a new home. During the summers of 1993 and 1994, the Market was held in an open parking lot near Parkade Plaza, with none of the shelter from sun, wind, and rain that vendors and customers had become accustomed to at the old fairgrounds. During this difficult time, serious discussion began regarding the need for a more permanent location and facility for the Market that would benefit vendors and customers.

In 1995, the City purchased the old fairgrounds, where the ARC was eventually constructed, and the Market was able to return to its former location, albeit still without a building. It has been held on an open lot behind the ARC ever since. From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, Market and community members worked to develop a plan for building a permanent pavilion to house the Market on this site. The plan was eventually put to voters, combined with an indepentant proposal for an ice rink next door, but this package was not approved. During this process, a group of farmers decided to form a new market without a permanent building or included amenities, and founded the Boone County Farmers Market.

Recently, a renewed effort to establish a permanent home for the Columbia Farmers Market has begun to yield results. An important Memo of Understanding with the City of Columbia was signed in May 2007, allowing fundraising and design work on the project to begin. The Columbia Farmers Market Pavilion is currently being envisioned as a resource available to all in the community. The goal is to build a permanent, roofed structure at the current market location, with established restroom facilities that can be used to house both the market and larger community events such as weddings, reunions, and festivals. Visit
www.farmersmarketpavilion.org to learn more about the project.

Over the last few years, the Columbia Farmers Market has experienced tremendous growth, with weekend customer counts regularly surpassing 4,000 and membership expanding to include nearly 70 local farmers, producers, and artisans. The Market is deeply involved within the community, regularly hosting musicians, artisans, non-profit groups, educational opportunities, and many other special events for which the Market is a natural source of public contact. With more and more national attention focusing on the benefits of local food supplies, and a renewed push for a permanent home, the future looks bright for the Market. Come visit us and experience the best foods and crafts that mid-Missouri has to offer!