Fitchburg's Farmers Market gets rave reviews - Sentinel & Enter...

"Organizers picked the downtown park to make it easy for potential customers to access and showcase the beautiful but underutilized park"

There is nothing easy about the access to anything downtown! So of course any park there is going to be underutilized. Sorry to point this out but I really doubt this market will make it. Nobody wants to park downtown and walk there.

Oh Please wrote:

"Organizers picked the downtown park to make it easy for potential customers to access and showcase the beautiful but underutilized park"
There is nothing easy about the access to anything downtown! So of course any park there is going to be underutilized. Sorry to point this out but I really doubt this market will make it. Nobody wants to park downtown and walk there.

Oh, please!! Heaven forbid we should "walk" any distance and get some fresh air and exercise! Let's just sabotage the whole market because they don't provide a shuttle bus for the short walk you might have to take!!

It is a lovely place, and a good idea to make people aware of the park, but it is not an easy place to get to, nor is it a convenient place for people who are just driving by. I think a market of this sort needs to be in a busier, more visible location. People who really want to buy local will find it, but the vendors will miss a lot of driveway business--those people who see the tents and stop to pick up something for supper.

Access would be better if Sovereign Bank would let people park in their largely empty lot near the park instead of putting up signs that it is for bank customers only.

I wasn't impressed by this market when I went - there were only two food vendors and their prices were high - but hopefully it will expand. I think it's probably hard to get off the ground - without a lot of guaranteed customers, many of your lower cost vendors who rely on volume of sales to make their money won't come; without the lower cost vendors, many customers won't come.

It's encouraging to see this underutilized park generate some activity. Several months back, there was an article in the Sentinel regarding Mayor Wong's involvement in a coffee shop venture on Main Street. The discussion quickly turned to suggestions on what kind of business' people would like to see come to the downtown, and I threw out my suggestion for a farmers market at Riverside Park. I touted the availability of the parking garage across the street, the social aspect of such an endeavor, and the promotion of Fitchburg's local vendors. I am not taking credit for this event coming to fruition, but I am happy to see it's success being realized so early on. I never envisioned bringing in the "craft's" aspect to bolster the booths selling fruits and vegetables. Brilliant! In the future, I hope the organizers attempt to showcase other business' that exist in Fitchburg. Maybe the Fitchburg High School Marching Band could be one of the entertainment selections one week, if there is a martial arts studio in the city, they could be invited to put on a demonstration another week. Gymnastics and/ or dance troupes could be showcased, and maybe even the Civic Center could set up a display of some sort to promote their skate school and hockey school programs. Maybe their is an appetite for playground equipment, rock walls, and other easily transportable apparatus for the kids to enjoy while their parents shop and socialize. The possibilities are endless, and would serve to increase consumer participation. Good job Fitchburg; you're to something positive here, keep it up, and make it grow. Maybe some of the vendors will see the benefit of being downtown, and set up a co-op in one of the empty storefronts, where they will be able to serve shoppers five days a week instead of one.

It's a perfect spot for the market, and contrary to what is printed above, there is plenty of parking available adjacent to the park. The key is vendor participation, with this kind of endeavor, "if you build it, they will come" is gospel. Here's hoping the best for this creative and productive use of the resources we have, they are few, but they can work!

Contrary to others opinions there is TONS of parking right across the street. I felt that there wasnt alot of choices either but at the same time it was the second time and Im sure it will grow. There were TONS of people coming in and out. I love the idea and will definately keep going back.

Great venue for the Fitchburg Local First participants to get exposure and start the snowball rolling

I have been away for the last month and unaware of this Farmer's Market...perhaps the Sentinel could promote it more so that more vendors and buyers could participate...also the local radio station could perhaps promote it also...do a remote broadcast there some afternoon with FATV as well...get it out there...make people aware of it...make it a media event.

A much better place would be Coolidge Park. You have a steady flow of traffic, rest rooms, a steady flow of walkers and none of the downtown creeps to deal with. Also free parking. I already frequent a few of the local farm stands and I don't see a need to deal with the hassle of going downtown for a few carrots or a bag of apples.

Nice wrote:

Contrary to others opinions there is TONS of parking right across the street. I felt that there wasnt alot of choices either but at the same time it was the second time and Im sure it will grow. There were TONS of people coming in and out. I love the idea and will definately keep going back.

I do not pay to park. period.

I went there last night with my fiance. We liked it. Prices were decent. Obviously they will be slightly higher than the supermarket because they are freshly picked. But besides that, we loved the experience and would definitely go back to buy our fruits and vegetables.

Anyone know if you have to pay to rent a table?

its a good place wrote:

I went there last night with my fiance. We liked it. Prices were decent. Obviously they will be slightly higher than the supermarket because they are freshly picked. But besides that, we loved the experience and would definitely go back to buy our fruits and vegetables.

Why would anybody drive out of their way wasting gas to buy produce that costs more than the grocery store? And you get charged to park too or is it free parking during those hours?

Children were running around because they were dodging bullets.
Wonder how many tickets the cops wrote, being there's no parking in that craphole of a city.

I DO give the farmers' an A+ on the concept of an open market, though. Too bad you're in Gangsta' County.

I agree that the Coolidge Park lot would be a better place. There is more traffic. More parking and better access over all.
However if you want fresh vegges, fruits, milk and eggs you can drive through Littleton, Groton and some of Townsend and find roadside farm stands offering all the above and for less money, since they dont have to pay a space fee and adjust prices to make that back.

You can also travel a short distance in NH and find fresh produce etc for cheaper. And make a day trip out of it.

REoL wrote:

Children were running around because they were dodging bullets.
Wonder how many tickets the cops wrote, being there's no parking in that **** of a city.
I DO give the farmers' an A+ on the concept of an open market, though. Too bad you're in Gangsta' County.

Where do you live, anyhow? You sure don't live in Fitchburg! All this foolish talk about dodging bullets and gangsters and such. Get real!

And the parking garage is free, and they don't check the meters after 4:30.

any homeless people barfing on the sidewalk or hookers flagging down customers?

I also attended the Farmer's Market on Thursday and found it to be quite pleasant. There were many people there at the time I visited, around 4:30. I saw children enjoying themselves, people dancing to the wonderful music, and others socializing with friends. Too bad that there are so many negative comments here. Riverfront Park looked great and is a good locality for the market. It was a nice time and I will be going back on Thursday to check things out again! Thanks to those who made this happen!