JACKSON CENTER, PA. Co-op market launched by farmers, others

JACKSON CENTER, Pa. -- Farms and small businesses in and around this Mercer County borough have joined together to launch a market cooperative.
The Jackson Meadows Country Market has 16 vendor-members so far, and offers a variety of products ranging from hydroponic vegetables to wood crafts and stoneworking, said Denise Brownlee, president.
Jackson Meadows opened about a month ago in a building at 68 Limber Road that once served as a fish farm. The structure had been vacant for the last several years, Brownlee said.
The market will host a grand opening from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday under the theme "Focusing on Agriculture," and Dennis Wolff, Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
Wolff will then tour a number of farms in the area, Brownlee said.
Vendors must buy into the co-op to be able to sell their wares at the facility. Each has an individual "storefront" inside the building.
Brownlee said she will be the co-op's first outside vendor when her Wil-Den Family Farm sets up outside the building Saturday. Wil-Den bills itself as the "home of fresh air pork."
The co-op also offers locally grown produce, baked goods, jewelry, art, candle and flower arrangements, glassware and even sporting goods.
Saturday's event will feature visits by the Dairy Promotion Board and the local dairy princesses, the Mercer County Agricultural Development Council and Skye's Spirit Wildlife Refuge. There will be an antique tractor display, a farm animal petting zoo and activities for children provided by the Creative Arts Center of Grove City.
Breakfast and lunch will be available.