The Daily Standard
Story Archive
The Celina Farmers Market had over 1,200 shoppers for its 20th anniversary on Saturday morning at the fairgrounds.
CELINA - Perfect weather and a slew of high-quality vendors brought out more than 1,200 local shoppers to the Mercer County Fairgrounds on Saturday morning to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Celina Farmers Market.
Vendors on Saturday sold items like local honey, roasted almonds, produce, sourdough bread, baked goods, cut flowers and more, with some offering special anniversary discounts.
In addition, the market featured live music from Adam Stall and a vendor passport activity. Younger customers were also kept busy with a craft activity from Cooper Farms, inflatable bounce houses and miniature golf.
This year the market is averaging about 1,000 shoppers a week, market manager Suzanne Montgomery said.
The Celina Farmers Market began in 2006 in front of the county courthouse downtown with around five vendors, a market history states. Vendors set up tents at Courthouse Square. It remained that size until about 2012.
That's when a steering committee was formed to further develop the market. A website was created the next year along with Facebook and Instagram accounts.
By expanding the market's online presence, organizers helped it take off and attract a variety of vendors from Celina and surrounding communities, the history states.
Montgomery attributed the market's continued success to social media, word of mouth and low vendor fees.
"Social media is a big part of it," she said. "We started that in 2013, and as a market who's just not for profit, your budget for advertising is very slim. So that really helped us a lot. And then I think word of mouth, and we keep our vendor fees very low."
As the market continued to grow, it became big enough in 2018 to employ a professional online market management service called Manage My Market to oversee its website.
Just like most businesses in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on the market, according to the history. Organizers were forced to relocate the event to keep up with the state's health guidelines, which required them to keep people to a social distance of at least 6 feet.
However, county fairgrounds staff and the county commissioners stepped in and quickly invited the market to set up at the fairgrounds on West Market Street, where it has stayed since.
"(The fairgrounds provide) more space for expansion, safe parking and a natural connection to agriculture," the market history states. "The market invited 4-H and FFA chapters to get involved, and many of our vendors are active in the annual county fair."
Not stopping there, the market became big enough to employ an assistant operations manager in 2021, per its history. The assistant manager helped with market management, as well as set-up and tear-down on Saturday mornings. It remains the market's only paid position, as it is otherwise led by volunteers, like Montgomery herself.
In that same year, the Celina Farmers Market introduced the Ohio Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program, which allows it to offer discounts on honey and produce to seniors that qualify.
Seeing a need in 2023, the market expanded to offer its first winter indoor market at the PBS building on the fairgrounds, Montgomery said.
"That's really helpful for our vendors who depend on their sales for their livelihood," she said. "Like the (vendors that sell) prepared foods, baked goods and plants. And our meat sellers. We don't have a lot of produce (at the winter markets) because it's not seasonal."
The farmers market has grown from just five vendors in 2006 to 40-60 vendors, kids activities and live entertainment today.
Last year, the outdoor market attracted 60 registered vendors, with the indoor market attracting 43, the market history states. That same year, the event initiated the Friends of the Market program, which allows locals to volunteer with market activities.
The Celina Farmers Market now partners with the county health department and the Ohio Department of Agriculture to follow guidelines that protect both its vendors and shoppers.
"We've sort of tightened up our requirements so they're in line with the ODA and the health department as far as labeling - if people have food allergies, you want to make sure they know what they're getting," Montgomery said. "It's a good thing, (though) some of the vendors complain because other markets don't."
With a mission statement of "focusing on local food security through sustainable agriculture and healthy food choices," the Celina Farmers Market's current emphasis is on locally grown food. Still, it allows artisan craft vendors to make up no more than 25% of its market sellers.
The event has also held free weekly children's activities since 2018.
"We provide a family-friendly atmosphere which can include live entertainment, special events and the Magic Food Bus, which serves hot meals with ingredients sourced from our vendors and other local food sources," the market history states.
There will be no farmers market this Saturday due to the Mercer County Fair. The Celina Farmers Market will pick back up from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 16 at the fairgrounds, 1001 W. Market St., Celina.
More information can be found at celinafarmersmarket.com.
