The Alachua County Farmers Market (ACFM) will relocate to its new location at San Felasco Tech City, starting Jan. 3.
According to a press release, the oldest-operating farmers’ market in the area, which has supported local growers for over 50 years, will be relocating to its new home at 13900 Tech City Circle. In Alachua, seven miles north of its former location at 52920 NW 13th St. in Gainesville. The hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
The market will offer free culinary tasting and organic gardening workshops starting in January as part of its transition to its new location.
In January, ACFM’s jam makers, beekeepers, pickle makers, sprouts growers and bakers will offer a variety of snack tastings, along with sharing culinary tips to use the items in healthy and delicious ways.
In February, the start of the spring growing season in North Central Florida, ACFM growers will offer gardening workshops focused on growing ornamentals, butterfly gardens, vegetables and herbs in small spaces, such as backyards and patios. Topics will include organic pest control, composting and container gardening.
ACFM produce, meat and other vendors will also be raffling off free packages of their products throughout January, to encourage the community to travel to the new San Felasco location on Saturday mornings.
The ACFM is one of many farmers markets around Gainesville, along with other farmers markets located in rural Alachua County.
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Really hope the farmer’s market will thrive. Im skeptical but hopeful.
It would be a better experience if the fm actually sold more local produce but sadly its now just mostly boutique items and crafts. Not much food.
Go to Lexington KY. Serious committed farmers market. Never seen better.
We can do better locally. Lots of farms.
I think the area is transitioning from an agricultural area to an urban area.
As the saying goes: I’m so old I can remember when the U-Haul dealer at Nw 13th St and 6th Ave was the Rancher and next door…84 Lumber…was a weekly cattle auction with a barbecue lunch.
Bummer. It was great while it lasted though! I’ll never make it all the way out there.
Notice how the County Commission sneaked this unwanted relocation on the community? None of the farmers or customers who have visited this market since it opened on 441 in 1990 wanted it to move. Few customers from Gainesville are likely to drive 7 miles farther north to go to San Felasco Tech City. Some people tried to get local news sources to cover this when there might have been time to stop it. Not one news source said anything.
I won’t be making the long drive as there is another market within a mile of where I live. It’s too bad this change was made, as it is likely to kill the 441 market.
The issue of “one news source” saying anything critical is an important one with which our society needs to grapple: RIP an effective “Gainesville Sun.”
On the local level, finding alternative news sources and view points on issues is indeed difficult. On the state, national and international scene there are many choices as long as you have the internet. Speaking of which, using a cell phone with its tiny screen to scroll the internet and the vast amount of information thereon is a fool’s errand. The consolidation of all that data on a cell phone totally limits the perspective.
What is the rationale for the move?
Prediction: this market will wither and die a slow death. Terrible place for it, the poster child for bad sprawl development, Tech Chity.
Agreed. Nothing out there.
This doesn’t make a lot of sense. Guessing the developer bribed the farmers market organizer somehow. It’s the vendors who lose because they’ll waste their time and money there. They need to be in high density areas like Haile Plantation and Grove Street downtown Gainesville. A market in Tioga would do well, even Newberry. But Tech City? Hope I’m wrong.
Bad idea.
Nothing conducive or inviting about Tech City.