The Attala County Farmers Market is set to host its 10th anniversary extravaganza from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 31 at the Attala County Coliseum.
A day poised to be filled with celebration, the market will host vendors selling produce of all sorts, t-shirts, honey, pastries, canned goods, and even hot food such as barbecue. There will also be vendors selling and creating art such as embroidery, jewelry, face painting, and sewing. Additionally, the market plans for live karaoke along with performances from local musicians.
Kenneth Georgia has been the reigning manager over the Farmers Market for the past 10 years. He is excited about the opportunity to celebrate the market’s successes and to introduce newcomers to the experience.
“Our local and neighboring vendors want an opportunity to showcase what they do and what they grow. And I think it will be a great chance for people to meet their farmer. In addition to where the food comes from, people need to understand who grows it. I think putting that link together is very important,” Georgia told The Star-Herald.
Georgia originally got involved when he moved to Kosciusko from Cleveland in the Mississippi Delta. He began seeking out the place to buy the best fresh produce and found the Farmers Market, previously located at Jason Niles Park.
After meeting with the local growers and learning more about their work, Georgia continued to go back on Saturdays. From there, he began noticing a lot of questions that growers had. At the time, there were only around three growers, so they asked Georgia for advice on their uncertainties since he came from a bigger farmers market in Cleveland.
“They'd say, ‘Well, these are a lot of questions that we don't have answers to; do you think you can help out?’ I'm a community supporter of all kinds, so I love to help. I started assisting, and then the manager position just kind of fell upon me. It was nothing that I was seeking. I didn't volunteer for it. It just kind of fell on me,” he said. “I saw the need for a great market here and the value in that. My background is in agriculture, and I teach agriculture at the Career Technical Center. It just made sense for us to have more, so I did what I could to try to help it grow.”
From there, the Farmers Market began to organize. Mary Williams, secretary of the farmers market and co-owner of M&M Produce with her husband Melvin, moved to Kosciusko from Iowa nearly 10 years ago. The couple came from a successful farmers market in Iowa where they sold produce from their garden. When they moved to Mississippi, where Melvin was raised, they wanted to continue doing just that. She said becoming a certified market did not happen overnight, but with Georgia’s leadership they were able to accomplish that goal.
“People living in Carthage, Sallis, and Attala County all came together with a desire to be part of the market under the current leadership of Kenneth Georgia. He was so great to help get this market started. We all met and had our first meeting in 2011, set up all of our rules and regulations, and worked with the state to become certified,” Williams told The Star-Herald.
Williams elaborated on the market’s growth in the past decade. Currently, there are 13 regular vendors that sell a wide variety of items, something that makes the organization so unique.
“We have people that provide produce, meat, honey, and baked goods. That is what makes us a market because there's a variety of different things. Now, we have Seafood Connection on board, which is a truck that comes in to sell fresh fish, shrimp, and all types of seafood. We also have a lady that comes to the market and serves hot meals. So, not only do we sell fresh vegetables, we also have fresh, hot meals on Fridays and Saturdays,” she said.
Other regular vendors who provide at the market include Connie’s Garden and Kitchen, Frank’s Trucking, Gloria’s Baked Goods, Lawrence Baked Goods, Little Oak Farm, Sugarbob’s, Nell’s Fried Peas and Catering, Newell and Newell’s Garden, Spears Skins, Smoking Roll, Wildlands Beef, The Red Bicycle, Victory Garden, Sarah and Robert Rick, Sallis Honey, and Wilkerson Gardens.
Georgia echoed Williams’ sentiment that the market holds a diverse cast of vendors and said there is diversity among buyers as well.
“Farmers markets are great for towns. They are cultural meccas where you see people across all different backgrounds. We have senior and younger vendors there. We have vendors that are black, white, and even a lady from the Czech Republic. People have visited from Puerto Rico,” he said. “We want people to see different types of food and recipes and to share that information. Cultural diversity is a huge part of our farmers market.”
Georgia also said spending money at the farmers market goes a long way in the community. He said that a dollar spent at the market will likely circulate around the town two or three times, so it helps recycle the money spent and keeps it in town. Vendors at the market likely purchased fertilizer for their crops from the local co-op or other items from Tractor Supply, so the market helps boost the local economy in several ways.
The market also provides significant discounts to senior citizens and members of WIC (Women, Infants, and Children.) Through the farmers market promotional program, seniors can buy produce using vouchers received from the USDA at any certified farmers market.
“A lot of elderly people are not able to go out and raise the garden anymore, so when they come to the market, they're so happy to see the corn, green beans, and all the things they used to be able to grow but can’t anymore. We're so thankful that those people are part of our market, and we are glad to have people like my husband that can still provide produce,” Williams said.
Williams also appreciates the support from the community and local leaders.
“There have been people that have been so loyal to the market, especially in the medical field. So many doctors have come out to support. Our mayor, the aldermen, the KAP, local faith leaders, and local police officers all support us, as well,” she said.
As for the future of the farmers market, Williams looks to continue building on the successes and potentially expand even further. She said that while the location they have now across from Wendy’s is excellent, she would like to see vendors able to spread out a bit more and potentially have a permanent indoor facility. She also would like to continue to grow the diversity at the market.
Georgia and Williams are both excited about the extravaganza’s opportunity to raise awareness by showcasing the farmers market and to attract new customers that may not know of all its benefits.
“It's amazing for 10 years seeing the same people come looking and expecting us to be there,’” said Williams. “That is why we're thankful to be able to have this 10-year extravaganza because what it is doing is saying we thank the community for helping us to get to this point, because without them, we would not have the market.”
