Lake City Farmers Market to hold Yard Sale Day

The Lake City Farmers Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for yard sales and produce in honor of National Farmers Market Week.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has proclaimed this year’s National Farmers Market Week to run from Sunday through Aug. 8.

This year marks the 10th annual National Farmers Market Week. Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began declaring the week the number of farmers markets has grown more than 60 percent, from 2,863 markets in 2000 to 4,685 in 2008.

According to the USDA, The Lake City Farmers Market is one of about 4,800 in the country. The Lake City Farmers Market began in 2006 and has local farmers selling a wide variety of products including beans, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, peppers, herbs, plants and artisan crafts.

In the most recent season, the Lake City market generated a stable economy for these local producers.

“Farmers markets are good for everyone,” says Stacy Miller, executive director of the Farmers Market Coalition, a nonprofit supporting farmers markets across the country. “They are good for your health, good for your community, and good for the economy. Not to mention they offer the freshest foods from America’s most entrepreneurial farmers and preserve our country’s agricultural traditions.”

“What makes our market so successful is the community spirit and partnership among the locals,” Lake City Farmers Market Manager Sherri Moore said.