A Bubble Off Plumb

This should probably be a paid advertisement. Don’t let the office manager know, or I will be on the hook for it. She runs a pretty tight ship here.

I don’t make resolutions, but I do have a goal for this year. I am going to start a farmer’s market. We’ll call it the Blaine County Farmers Market at Watonga, and plans are to hold it at Legion Park. I have applied for the city permit already.

Anything that anybody makes or grows locally is eligible. The only guideline is vendors have to call or email me before noon on Friday when the market is on Saturday. The permit won’t allow those not on the weekly signup list to sell at the market. We’d also love to see law enforcement and elected officials interacting with the community.

The cool thing about Legion Park is there is plenty of room for the kids to run around. There is a shelter and parking and bathrooms. It has good access from the highway. The vendors can use the parking lot east of the pavilion, and if it isn’t reserved for that day, can set up in the pavilion itself, if so desired.

Plans are to hold the market one Saturday in March, maybe two in April, perhaps three in June, and every weekend in July, August and September. Then back to two or three in October. We’d have to play November and December by ear. Of course, this depends on the weather cooperating and will be subject to cancellation in the event of severe weather.

Vendors who want to participate and sell food items should follow the Oklahoma cottage industry rules. Those are pretty common sense and straightforward without being too restrictive. A good page with a comparison of the old cottage law and the new version can be found here: https://oksenate.gov/sites /default/files/interim_mat erials/Interim-Studies/Cottage%20Foo d%20Laws%20Overvie w%20%20State%20Comparis ons.pdf There are rules about what produce and farm products can and can’t be sold at farmers markets, too. They can be found here: https://www.oklahoma. gov/content/dam/o k/en/health/health2/documents/ farmersmarketguidelines- final.pdf.

All that said, I don’t think there is going to be a farmer’s market Gestapo running around checking everything. This is supposed to be a fun, easy way to showcase what we make and grow in Blaine County.

You will need to be ready to do your own setup, like tables and chairs. Think about bringing some change and bags. A sunshade if you like. That’s about it.

Anyone who is interested in setting up a booth or table and has questions, feel free to email me or give me a call at the paper.

I wanted to get this out there in plenty of time so that when folks go to start their gardens or reorganize workshops, they can have this sales outlet in mind.

We are a talented bunch of people and there is a market for what we produce or make. Let’s get our share. It’ll be fun.