Don’t miss the inaugural Farmers Market Symposium on Wednesday, February 12 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.!
Farm Director KC Sheperd jumped at the opportunity to speak with Natasha Robinson, Farmers Market Manager, and Eric Himan, Scissortail Park’s VP of Programming.
The one-day symposium “Bridging the Rural and Urban Agriculture Gap” is designed to highlight farmers’ markets and Oklahoma agriculture of all sizes featuring keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author Forrest Pritchard from Smith Meadows Sustainable Farm.
He is a seventh-generation farmer and New York Times bestselling author, holding a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Geology from the College of William & Mary. He grew up in the Shenandoah Valley on his grandparent’s diversified farm and spent summers with his non-farming grandparents in the Appalachian highlands and the Ohio River Valley.
Pritchard’s 2013 book “Gaining Ground, A Story of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm” chronicles his agricultural adventures. It was named a top read by Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, and NPR’s The Splendid Table, and made the New York Times Bestseller list. Learn more at forrestpritchard.com.
“It is a really great book to ignite your passion for local food and things like that,” Robinson said.
The Symposium itself centers on agricultural technology and marketing. “It will be great for farmers to come and learn about advancements in technology, and also to attend the marketing workshops. One is about building your brand and another one is about building a loyal customer base through marketing without a brick and mortar. There will be a lot of great information there.”
She referred scissortailpark.org as the place to register. The $60 registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and a copy of Pritchard’s book. The symposium made possible by grant funding from the USDA will be held at Omni Oklahoma City Hotel, 100 OKC Blvd, OKC, OK 73116 (just across Robinson Ave from Scissortail Park).
This is a great event to lead into getting involved with Scissortail Park’s Saturday Farmers Markets, and new this year, the Mid-Week Farmers Market will be held every Wednesday from May until October from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Vendor applications are being accepted until February 28th for the 2025 season.
The Wednesday markets will include a few different vendors from the Saturday regulars, and it is held in a different area of the park – nearer to the SW 15th and Robinson intersection – for a change of scenery.
“It is a beautiful part of the park, and provides a little bit more intimate shopping experience,” Robinson said. “We have somewhere between twenty to thirty vendors each time, so you can really get to know the vendors that way.”
The farmers markets are registered with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and try to include 80% food vendors and 20% non-food vendors. Items must be created or grown by the seller and within Oklahoma. Vendors must also carry liability insurance. Robinson is happy to help walk potential vendors through obtaining any other licensing and permits that may be required.
Himan detailed other attractions at Scissortail Parks including a splash pad and playground, year-round events like the bi-weekly farmers markets, and a variety of free concerts. It also hosts a Wind and Kite Festival on April 5. Night Markets are held from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on one Friday of each month from April until December with a summer respite in July in August. The Core to Shore 5K will be held in late August, and Pubs in the Park is a Brewery Festival planned for May. More information can be found on the website and by following Scissortail Park on social media.
