YOUNGSTOWN N. Side faithful harvest an idea
The farmers market is a symbol of neighborhood cooperation and renewal.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- First Unitarian Church members talked recently about how a farmers market would be a nice addition to the North Side.
Partnerships with brethren in faith just down Elm Street carried the notion from concept to completion just weeks later.
The Northside Farmers Market opens at 9 a.m. Saturday on the Unitarian Church grounds at 1105 Elm St. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to noon for four Saturdays ending Sept. 13.
Volunteers put the market together in less than eight weeks.
"It's the can-do spirit," said Jim Converse, one of the organizers.
The hope is that the market will draw enough buyers and sellers to become a regular feature in the spring and beyond.
Offerings
Fresh fruits and vegetables from four area farms will be on sale. There also will be a table where backyard gardeners can sell their produce.
Other offerings will include honey, organic coffees and teas and Mediterranean food. A community yard sale and activities for children also will accompany the market.
The market is timed to the harvest, which organizers say is peaking.
The hope is to draw 50 to 200 people each week.
How it started
The idea for a farmers market -- the only one that organizers know of in the city -- grew legs after a recent lecture.
A city planner from Kent State University speaking at First Unitarian's lecture series talked about the importance of bringing people into the neighborhood to spur revitalization.
Some of those who attended the lecture included members of Rodef Sholom Temple and Richard Brown Memorial United Methodist Church. Both are near First Unitarian on Elm Street.
Members of all three started talking about a simple, effective event that would bring people into the Wick Park neighborhood.
"We thought a farmers market was a good idea," said Karen O'Malia, who led a group of about 10 volunteers in organizing the market.
The organizers come from all three churches. Some are city residents and others are from suburbs such as Boardman and Liberty.
"It seems to be a collaborative effort," O'Malia said.
Working together
The important thing is that all three religious institutions are taking their stake in the neighborhood seriously and working together, Converse said.
The market is as much about bringing people together and interacting in positive ways as it is farm-fresh produce, he said. Academics call that creating "social capital," he said.
Converse views the market as a tool that can bring people together from around the area.
"We see the market very much as a regional institution," he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com