Smokey Point Farmers Market holds Kids Day

Children were the focus of the day during the Kids Day at the Smokey Point Farmers Market on July 19.

“We’re doing Kids Day to celebrate kids,” said Jamie Williams, manager of the market.

Rabbits and goats were available for kids to see and pet, and ‘Auntie the Clown’ was there providing face painting.

Kids were also invited to bring their own items to sell during the day.

“We have a couple of kid vendors selling the stuff that they make and/or grow,” said Williams.

“Kids are out of school and they have had time to make their items and tend to their plants. Here they have a safe place to sell them instead of right outside their house where a stranger could come up to them,” she said.

Local kid Landin Davis said he enjoyed having a place to bring some of his paintings.

“Art is fun. I feel good because it gives me time to bring out my creative side,” he said.

Local parent Melissa Carden said her daughter and her friend were having a good time as well.

“They worked really hard on their project and they wanted to do something fun and earn a little bit of extra spending money,” said Carden.

“It’s nice for them to see that hard work pays off,” she said.

This is the first year for the Smokey Point Farmers Market which meets on the first, third and fifth Fridays of the month from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

They will be open three more dates this year, on Aug. 2, 16 and 30, at Smokey Point’s Tractor Supply store.

“We’re excited to have it,” said Williams.

“I was asked by the manager of Tractor Supply and I said ‘yes.’ Smokey Point needs one,” she said.

The market has featured numerous vendors including beef, chicken, pork, flowers, quilted items, and jams and jellies.

“I just like the variety. All the hometown stuff and custom-made stuff,” said local parent Tegen Davis.

Williams said that people enjoyed having a new farmers market more local to Smokey Point.

“They love that they have a family event close to home that is a safe place to come and shop outside,” she said.

Holding the market on Fridays also makes it available to those who can’t make the typical weekend farmers markets as well.

“Nowadays families work on weekends and they can’t always get to a Saturday or Sunday market, so having it on the afternoon of Fridays works great for busy families,” said Williams.

She said that people have appreciated the market so far.

“This year has been great. The weather has not been nice to us,” she said. “We will be back in May of next year.”

Next year could bring in some new vendors as well, said Williams.

“We would love to have some FFA vendors from the high school in here selling the produce they’re growing,” she said.

Williams wanted to thank Tractor Supply and the families that stop by for the market.

“Tractor Supply is the sponsor of this market and they’re allowing us to use their parking lot to help put this on,” she said.

“And thanks to the community for coming out to support this. If they didn’t come out we wouldn’t have the vendors and then we wouldn’t have a market,” she said.

More information about the new local market is available at their Facebook page at facebook.com/SmokeyPointMarket.