Tag Archive for: #vancecountyregionalfarmersmarket

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

The Local Skinny! Hand Crafted Holiday Market Coming To The Farmers Market

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Nov. 18 and make plans to attend the special Hand Crafted Holiday Market at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

There will be plenty of vendors on hand for the market, which will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Market Manager Pat Ayscue.

“Our very talented crafters have been planning and working overtime on unique gift ideas and

décor for the home or office,” Ayscue said. “Thanks to our farmers who have scheduled the planting and harvesting of our fall crops.”

There should be plenty of leafy greens and pumpkins available to create some delicious Thanksgiving dishes – all the things that make the holiday special. Sweet Inspirations will be well stocked with fresh baked goods and will be available to take special orders.

But Ayscue said folks can expect to find some special handcrafted items, too. The holiday market is sure to help you with gift-giving ideas.

From local honey, pickles, jams and pasture-raised meats, the Holiday Market will have something for everyone.

Contact Ayscue at payscue@vancecounty.org or text 252.425.2092.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Enjoy Fresh Produce And More From Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market Vendors

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market will be open one more Wednesday this season before it drops back to Saturday-only hours.

Wednesday, Aug. 30 marks the unofficial end to summertime at the Farmers Market, but Market Manager Pat Ayscue says vendors still have lots of produce as summer transitions to fall.

The vine-ripe tomatoes just keep getting better, Ayscue said. Fruits such as watermelons, cantaloupe, peaches and apples are displayed alongside veggies including peas, butterbeans, okra, sweet corn, squash, zucchini and onions

Ayscue encourages patrons to chat with vendors and farmers about the grass-fed beef and pork – and don’t forget the tasty farm-fresh eggs!

There’s local honey, delicious fresh baked goods as well as fresh-cut flowers and handcrafted items for sale.

The market will be open until sometime in December, Ayscue said. Saturday hours remain 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Stop by and put a smile on a farmer’s face where the produce is so fresh it looks like it’s still growing,” Ayscue says.

And, as always, thanks for supporting your local farmers market.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Drive, just off Beckford Drive, Henderson.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

“Spring Fling” At Vance Farmers Market Kicks Off New Growing Season May 6

Join vendors at the annual Spring Fling at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Whether you’re looking for fresh-picked produce or any of the other items that the market offers, Market Manager Pat Ayscue invites everyone to come out and see what all the buzz is about.

“Spring is such a topsy-turvy season with a bit of late frost and high temps that spin up, thunderstorms bringing inches of rain and high winds,” Ayscue stated.

“Hats off to the farmers who always put their best foot forward in all kinds of weather to bring you their best farm-raised produce and products. The bounty of strawberries makes all the pollen we experience well worth it.

Come experience the market as it comes alive to begin another season, filled with farmers’ harvests and craft vendors.

“It’s so good to hear the chatter among vendors and customers filling the air,” Ayscue said.

“I look forward to welcoming our new vendors to our farmers market family and the community,” she said.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr. in Henderson. Contact Ayscue at 252.598.0814 or farmersmarket@vancecounty.org. To learn more, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/vcrfm.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Farmers’ Market Set To Open April 15

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market will open Saturday, April 15 for the 2023 season and Market Manager Pat Ayscue welcomes visitors and shoppers to come ccheck out all the vendors beginning at 8 a.m.The market will have its annual Spring Fling on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ayscue said.

The vegetable and plant growers will have a good variety of slips and flowering plants for the home and garden, and the craft vendors will have wreaths and other handcrafted items for the home and office.

Other vendors will have beef, pork, chicken, eggs, produce and more from the farmers along with those strawberries we have been waiting for. Homemade pies and cakes, whole or sliced  – just right for an after-dinner treat or for a special occasion.

Fresh-cut flowers will be on hand, Ayscue said, giving two green thumbs-up for the beginning of the growing season.

And before or after shopping, Ayscue invites everyone to stay awhile and walk through the Memorial Gardens, located on the grounds of the farmers’ market.

 

Farmers Market Advisory Board Meeting Thurs, Aug 12

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market Advisory Board will meet Thursday, August 12 at 2 p.m.

The meeting will take place at the Farmers Market at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson, just off Beckford Drive.

These meetings are open to the public.

For additional information, call 252 438 8188 or email paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu.

While public attendance is meant for observation, to be sure you can speak with others there after the meeting.  Hanging around after a meeting is a good way to see if new things may be on the horizon for the market and a chance to provide some input if there are things you would like to see.

Farmers Market ‘Twilight Market’ Tuesday, June 29 3-7 PM

Pat Ayscue has been on the job as manager of the Vance Regional Farmers Market for a few weeks now and says she’s been listening to farmers and vendors to try to find ways to best suit their needs.

Ayscue told WIZS News Friday that Tuesday’s “twilight market” is just one way to float new ideas at the farmers’ market – a kind of feasibility study, if you will.

The twilight market will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be just like any other market day, she said, just a different time frame.

Folks are usually “out and about” on Saturdays, looking for a market open during the morning hours, and she hopes that providing some flexibility during the week will create more interest. Those who work Monday through Friday can’t always get to the Wednesday market. And it would allow folks who work on Saturdays time to visit and shop as well, Ayscue said.

“If I could get (customers) to show up during the week like they do on Saturday,” it just may be by making the hours more flexible.

“Farmers are out there working all the time,” she said. Her job is to listen to their conversations and learn what it is they are looking for and what it is they need.

The Twilight Market will be open Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Pat Ayscue Begins Job As Farmers Market Manager

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market opened for business today with its new manager on board to oversee market operations.

Pat Ayscue is the new market manager, becoming only the second manager at the facility, which opened in 2014.

Ayscue comes to the job with lots of experience, said Paul McKenzie, Vance County extension agent. He spoke with John C. Rose to make the announcement live on WIZS at 11:30 a.m.

Ayscue most recently was the market manager of the Franklin County Farmers Market in Louisburg, McKenzie said. She takes over from Tracy Madigan, who accepted a position with downtown development in Henderson earlier this spring.

McKenzie said visitors to the market, accustomed to a friendly greeting from the market manager, are in for a treat. “Now you’ll have a new smiling face to greet you as you walk in the door,” he said of Ayscue.

Wednesday was her first day on the job in Vance County. “She’s ready to go and take care of the vendors, the customers and do all the things that it takes to keep this facility going … and growing,” McKenzie added.

A market manager’s job is more than being available when the market is open – there’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes, he said. A market manager is always looking for new vendors, processing applications, making sure the facility is well-maintained, and promoting the farmers market in the community and on social media.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the growing season from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson.

For more information, call 252.598.0814 or email farmersmarket@vancecounty.org.

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Farmers Market Opens For Wednesday Sales June 2

Whether it’s the cabbage or kale, beets or bok choy you’ve had a hankering for, the wait is over – find those items and more at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market as it kicks off its mid-week market tomorrow, Wednesday, June 2.

In addition to a wide variety of fresh produce and other local hand-crafted items, there will be a mobile clinic set up to give COVID-19 vaccines tomorrow as well. The clinic will operate from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  No appointment is necessary.

The market will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  through the summer. There are three “twilight markets” that will be held in lieu of the Wednesday market – the Tuesday twilight markets will be from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on June 29, July 27 and Aug. 24.

COVID-19 restrictions have eased at the market, and anyone who is fully vaccinated will not be required to wear a face mask. Farmers market vendors and visitors are still encouraged to maintain social distancing and other safety protocols.

The VCRFM is located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson.

(This is not a paid ad.)

Vance County Regional Farmers Market Advisory Board to Meet Thursday

— by Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties, NC Cooperative Extension

The Advisory Board for the Vance County Regional Farmers Market will meet on Thursday, January 7th at 2 p.m. This will be a virtual meeting using the Zoom video conferencing platform. The Board will be reviewing the 2020 farmers market season and begin discussing plans for 2021. The Board will also conduct its annual review of the Vendor Guidelines. These Advisory Board meetings are open to the public, and there will be an opportunity for public comment. Anyone who would like to attend should contact the NC Cooperative Extension Center for Vance County at 252-438-8188 by 1 p.m. on January 7 to request meeting access credentials.

TownTalk 12-17-20: Pete Burgess; The Man; The Farmer; The Community Advocate

— written from WIZS Staff contributions plus information from a VGCC press release

A farmer must cultivate his crop to ensure a productive yield. First comes the groundwork – literally. The field has to be ready for planting and then kept weed-free so the young plants can flourish. Often, the ultimate success of the crop depends on how well the field was looked after and tended to.

Talmadge R. Burgess, Sr., “Pete” to friends and colleagues, knows the value of cultivation. He has shared this philosophy locally during his decades-long work in agriculture and in service to his community. And that is why the Vance County chapter of the North Carolina Farm Bureau has created a scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College in honor of Burgess.

“We are proud to establish this scholarship to express our appreciation to Pete Burgess for his many years of service to the Farm Bureau, the farming community and Vance County as a whole,” said Thomas Shaw, president of the Vance County Farm Bureau, which Burgess once led.

In a Town Talk interview earlier this week, Burgess reflected on his livelihood, and the importance of being active in the community in which you live. “Anybody has to have help to get started,” he said. When he started out in farming in 1968, it was with the help of family. Now retired, Burgess and his wife Sylvia enjoy farming from a distance while son Talmadge continues the family tradition.

To hear the show, click play…

Tobacco has given way to other crops, Burgess noted, and his son grows hay for livestock and wheat straw for the landscaping industry. But no matter the crop the field produces, there must be a way to sell. Burgess was instrumental in establishing the Vance County Regional Farmers’ Market in Henderson, which allows local producers to showcase everything from cut flowers and tomatoes to locally sourced meats and handicrafts.

Pete Burgess Plaque

In this 2014 WIZS file photo, you can see the Pete Burgess plaque on an easel prior to being placed outside the facility’s meeting room. The VCRFM opened in 2014.

He enthusiastically recalled the steps taken to get the market from concept to reality. “That was probably the most ambitious project the Vance County Farm Bureau ever took on,” he said. It started with a pot of money from the Golden Leaf Foundation and a local group formed to determine how to spend the roughly $2 million Vance County allocation. Schools and fire departments were the top two choices to receive the money, Burgess said. But the third choice was construction of a farmers’ market, and Farm Bureau decided to take it on. ”They thought I wasn’t doing anything much,” he joked, “so they put me in charge of seeing…how to make that project a success.” It took four years to accomplish the goal, but the result is a facility that has functioned since 2014 as a venue to sell local produce as well as a gathering place for meetings and workshops. Burgess remembered how the installation of the large roll-up doors came about – at a cost of $1,500 each, they were just too expensive to include in the original project. Burgess got area businesses to sponsor the purchase of those doors, “and that was the easiest money I raised to build that farmers’ market,” he said.

The farmers’ market is a fairly recent project that Burgess was involved with, but he has long supported a variety of local programs and agencies, from fire departments to civic groups, many of which centered around the Epsom community. Whether it was the annual Lions Club pancake supper or the volunteer fire department fundraisers, Burgess feels it is important to give back.

An active community volunteer, Burgess served as a board member of the county and state Farm Bureau organizations, president and board member of the Epsom Lions Club, board member of the Epsom Volunteer Fire Department, member of the Vance County Planning Board and board member for the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. For his contributions to the county and, in particular, for his leading role in securing the land and funding for the regional farmers market, Burgess was honored by the Vance County Commissioners with the “Community Hero” award.

“Throughout his life, Pete Burgess has demonstrated an interest not only in agriculture but in giving back and supporting his community, so this scholarship is a fitting way to honor his service,” said Eddie Ferguson, VGCC’s endowment fund director. “We are grateful to the Vance County Farm Bureau for continuing to support Vance-Granville students through this new scholarship.”

The scholarship is another resource that can be used to cultivate “good” in the community and reward deserving students for their efforts in the classroom. Burgess said he was “kind of amazed at all that’s happening and what’s going on, but it’s very exciting.” The Farm Bureau is known as being an advocate of the farmer, whether it is helping with legislative matters or agricultural matters – whatever a farmer needs to be successful. Burgess seems to have employed a similar philosophy in his lifetime of service to Vance County and beyond – cultivating good habits and positive outcomes to benefit the community as a whole.

The Vance County Farm Bureau is encouraging friends of Pete Burgess to make donations to the Endowment Fund to help endow this scholarship at the Presidential Merit Award level. For more information or to make a contribution, call Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.

Contributions to the scholarship fund can also be mailed to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund, at P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,700 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education.