Hometown Crawfordsville

Crawfordsville, Arkansas, population 606, is starting a farmers market. Farmers markets are being created in great numbers across the country. The renewed interest in these markets is fueled by a number of factors. For many there is a new awareness in the origin and safety of our food. Many want to try to find foods that are produced locally. They feel like they can find locally grown food that is fresher and more flavorful. Food safety is a concern for others. Many like to follow the Forresters’ Whitton Farms motto, “If you know your farmer, you know your food.” The farmers markets are providing an outlet for local farmers to sell their product. This helps the farmers as well as the local area’s economy. Perhaps the thing that most attracts folks to farmers markets is the social atmosphere that they provide. For many, a visit to the local farmers market is an opportunity to visit with friends on a regular basis.

This farmers market is being organized by a group called Hometown Crawfordsville. They are devoted to bringing about economic revitalization to their town. Crawfordsville, like so many agriculturally-based communities in the Arkansas delta, has slowly declined over recent years. Peace Bee Farm sells much of its honey and bee hive products at farmers markets. Here, Rita and Tod Underhill survey the site of the Hometown Crawfordsville farmers market on Main Street.
--Richard