A group of locals are pounding the dirt to find area farmers who will contribute their crop to a Vicksburg-based farmer’s market, a plan that is underway to have fruit and veggies for sale once a week downtown by this summer.

The city voted Friday to aid the effort by handing over $5,000 in seed money to Main Street, the organization that will act as an umbrella organization for the market. The money, transferred from the city’s administrative services budget to Main Street’s supplies and services budget, will be used to pay for advertisements that will, hopefully, lure farmers, said Main Street Director Rosalie Theobald.

Three locals have been meeting with Lamar Horton, human resources director for the city, since February, discussing how to start a market, which would be similar to those begun and thriving in Oxford, Columbus and Jackson’s Belhaven community. The group – Mary Beth Lasseter, Kristen Meehan and Fawn Francis – approached the Main Street board last month to request support.

Theobald said the board was eager to get behind the market, which promises to help boost foot traffic downtown.

To get involvedFarmers who want to sell produce at the Vicksburg Farmer’s Market, contact Mary Beth Lasseter at 662-607-2054 or marybeth@olemiss.edu.”This is something we believe is another economic marketing tool that will not only serve the (downtown) residents, but locals and visitors. We hope it’s something they would want to come to town for. We love the idea and want to make it a reality.”

The group is still looking for a downtown spot to house the market, but has narrowed it to three or four possibilities, Horton said. A decision on a location will be made by next week, he added.

Lasseter, who was involved with the Oxford Farmer’s Market before moving to Vicksburg, said between four and eight farmers will make this market a success.

“We can have single-crop farmers or people with large vegetable gardens with excess,” she said. “We’re a group that’s willing to take on the work. And, there are a lot of shoppers out there. This is not a hair-brain idea.”

Horton told the board that the committee moving forward with the farmer’s market has researched other markets that have failed.

“We feel that either the organization fails or they fail to get farmers,” he said. “There are always people to buy produce, but the farmers are aging. So we’ve tried to broaden the search.”

Theobald said finding farmers shouldn’t be a problem.

“If the farmers don’t come to us, I’ve lived here all my life – I know where Possum’s Hollow is – and we might have to make a road trip to Louisiana,” Theobald said. “There are farmers out there. We may have to just meet them in the garden.”

Now that the group has support from the city, they will continue seeking farmers and other vendors, who will offer crafts and other items. Opening day will be the first week in June. Details on whether the market will be during the week or on Saturday is something that will be ironed out in the next week or so, Horton said.

“My expectation is that it will take a while to get something like this going. I’m thinking a two-year startup,” he said. “This is a starting point. I think we have enough buyers in the area and enough sellers and producers.”

In addition to providing financial support, the board showed their interest in having the market downtown.

“Thank you for trying something new in our community,” Mayor Laurence Leyens said.