You've seen them in Columbia and Mount Joy, in the east end of Lancaster City and in lots of other places in this farm-filled county.
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And "the more farm markets we see springing up in small communities, it means (a good chance) that those communities are being revitalized," Jodi Swartz Rankin says.
That's because the farm market often becomes both a business success and a social draw for the community, she says.
And that's what those planning a new Millersville market are hoping for.
In the heart of the university town, at the George Street Cafe, Rankin and other organizers are gearing up for a new "Millersville Community Market Night."
It starts Wednesday, running from 4 to 8 p.m. in and around the 304 N. George St. cafe.
It will run each Wednesday through Oct. 14, offering everything from organic produce, locally-grown fruit and flowers and herbs to local artists and music — well-known area performer Bobbi Carmitchell is on the schedule for the first night.
There will be a dozen or so stands in the cafe's large parking lot, with dinners available either eat-in or take-out from the cafe.
Rankin, the market's manager, credits the team of George Street Cafe owner Susan Lithgoe, Susan Minasian (chaplain at Franklin & Marshall College) and Amy Yocom, a Manor Township farmer with Promised Land Farms, for getting the market idea started.
The George Street Cafe, a main gathering place for residents and Millersville University students, teachers and staffers, seemed like the logical place to start the market, they agreed.
Rankin hopes the new market is "a perfect complement" to what the cafe already does on Wednesday evenings, when it features dinners from the local farming community.
"That will still be happening ... you can buy strawberry shortcake or a grass-fed hamburger on Wednesday night (inside), then go out and buy directly from the same vendor outside."
Market organizers also plan a monthly festival either celebrating the market or an artist whose work is being featured that day.
The market also will feature pottery, jewelry and other items.
Farmer and organizer Yocom hopes the Millersville market night "becomes a regional attraction" that people circle on their calendars each Wednesday night, she says.
Rankin notes that "that's what a farm market really is ... you're not just coming for the community aspect, you're also coming for your groceries as well."
As someone with "a love for markets," Rankin knows that with a local one such as Millersville's, "you know (the item) is coming from a few miles down the road.
"So now there's that personal connection (between farmer and buyer), and now more than ever people are looking for that."
Cafe owner Lithgoe calls it "community-building, getting everybody involved."
That was outlined in Millersville's recently-adopted 2020 community vision statement, which aims to give a "road map" for both creating a better business climate and transforming the town into a cultural and artistic hub in coming years.
With the new market, anyone interested in becoming a standholder, either through the season or on a weekly basis, or anyone seeking more information, can call Rankin at 341-9202.
Staff writer David O'Connor can be reached at doconnor@LNPnews.com or 481-6033.
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