New Indoor Farmer's Market Launched for Winter Months at State Fairgrounds

LEWISBURG, WV (09/16/2014)(readMedia)-- Fans of locally grown produce and locally produced farm products will have the opportunity to shop every Saturday from November 29th through March 7th at the new Lewisburg Winter Farmers market at the State Fairgrounds. The market will be housed in the 4,000 square foot, heated, Douglass Annex building. "In early June, I received an inquiry from two local producers and as they say, the seed was planted! We structured a partnership with representatives of the Lewisburg Farmer's Market and the overall goal is to offer farmers market producers the opportunity to expand their businesses to include four season gardening by providing a winter market which gives the region uninterrupted access to local produce and local value added products.", stated CEO, Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe.

The market is open to any small independent producer in the southeast region of West Virginia. Vendors who expect to sell at all or most of the markets may request a dedicated space that will be theirs for the duration of the market. Vendors who will only set up occasionally will be assigned a space by the Market Manager depending on what is available.

Vendors may sell any produce or value added products that are grown or made on land under their control (their farm or land leased or rented by them for their own use). Vendors will be asked to display a brief description of their growing practices. All products offered for sale, including value added products, must meet the requirements of the Greenbrier County Health Department. Vendors may not sell products that have been purchased for resale.

A variety of special events, including culinary demonstrations, food preservation workshops, cake decorating and holiday themed activities are planned throughout the winter and on each market day. For an application and market details, please phone 304-445-7068, download an application at statefairofwv.com or lewisburgfarmersmarket.com, or email nuttyknollfarm@yahoo.com.

Jolliffe stated, "The opportunity to improve the quality of life in our community through this partnership and further our agricultural mission by working with the Lewisburg Farmers Market to fill a retail gap for them is a definite win, win."

The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. The 200 acre State Fair Event Center hosts over 200 events annually. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook and Twitter.