Farmer's Market in town

On Saturday Oct 30, 2010 Laredo's Downtown Main Street Association sponsored Laredo's First Farmers Market. The event was held at the Jarvis Plaza downtown from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event featured regional vendors and their produce.

Homegrown fruits, vegetables and plenty of homemade baked goods were some of the highlights at the market. Some of the other items featured at the market included an array of spices, Texas cultivated cooking oils, precious gem stone jewelry, as well as books from our local bookstore.

Mayor Raul Salinas and board members held a quick ribbon cutting ceremony, and thanked everyone for coming out to support Laredo's First Farmers Market.

One of the greatest aspects of this event is the fact that anyone can join in. Viviana Frank, an organizer for the event said, "You don't have to be a certified farmer all we do is we expect people grow their own fruits and vegetables you can come from up 200 miles away."

Organizers also plan on establishing a community garden and kitchen that will be open to the public, as a means of helping the farmer's market flourish within the Laredo community.

"The idea is to get local entrepreneur families to also be involved and to start growing and to come and share their products with the rest of Laredo," said Frank.

The farmer's market will take place the third Saturday of every month for the next 12 months. As a means of revitalizing the economy of Downtown Laredo, one of the main goals for the Downtown Main Street Association is to eventually make this a weekly event.

(Mariela Rodriguez may be reached at mariela_rod@dusty.tamiu.edu)