Buckhannon Upshur Farmers Market could switch up its location next season

Monica Zalaznik
June 26, 2023

BUCKHANNON – The Buckhannon Upshur Farmers Market will not be in Jawbone Park during the week of July 17-24 due to the 2023 World Association of Marching Show Bands Championship.

At its June 22 meeting, the Consolidated Public Works Board discussed the farmers’ market reserved parking spaces at Jawbone Park and potentially moving the market to the other side of the park next growing season.

“Mr. [Randy] Sanders had a conversation with Mr. [Donnie] Tenney relative to some of this and really the only update we have is that the farmers’ market was not going to participate or not going to set up in Jawbone Park for WAMSB, but other than that, they’re setting up in Jawbone Park,” Mayor Robbie Skinner said.

Director of finance and administration Amberle Jenkins said they can set up the temporary signs that reserve parking spaces for members of the farmers’ market, but they were not up yet because she thought they were moving to the other side of Jawbone Park, closer to the Public Safety Building on Florida Street.

“We’re late in the game this year; I think that we should wait, so we should go ahead and put the temporary signs up this year,” Skinner said. “I do think we need to have a meeting set up in the off-season to try to get this relocated. We’re coming into the time when all the produce is being harvested so I think it’s too late to change it now, but I think if we need to have a meeting in the off-season with the group and really try to get a plan together for the next growing season.”

City recorder Randy Sanders agreed with Skinner and said the market does plan to set up somewhere during the week of WAMSB.

“I did talk with Donnie Tenney, and he said they are going to try to move the Farmers Market out of the downtown area for the weekend of WAMSB,” Sanders said. “I can’t remember the location, but I’ll verify that location and report back. [Tenney] was very cooperative in those instances because he understood he would be trapped at Jawbone and customers couldn’t get where they are usually located.”

The board voted to display the temporary signage, reserving parking spaces for the market at Jawbone Park. The market is open at Jawbone Park on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.