Farmers market, craft fair planned for Greenville Park in spring

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Jan. 28—GREENVILLE — The Greenville Historic Preservation Commission plans to present a farmers market and craft fair this spring.

An event at Greenville Park will feature local vendors and serve as a fundraiser for the commission's operations. The Floyd County Parks and Recreation Department has already approved the use of the park for Saturday, May 14.

The commission discussed the plans in a quarterly meeting Thursday, and a public group was formed on Facebook to get out information about the event and seek vendors and volunteers.

Matt Uhl, chair of the Greenville Historic Preservation Commission, said the event would help bring together the community and raise money for preservation efforts planned over the next few years.

This would be the first year of the farmers market and craft fair.

"We've talked for the last couple of years about different ways to fundraise that are non-traditional, and this opportunity when we heard about it, we thought it checks a lot of boxes," Uhl said. "We love the idea of the farmers market aspect."

Commission member Mark Keeley is spearheading the effort. Since he started the Facebook group for the event on Thursday, it has "gotten huge," he said. On Friday afternoon, he counted nearly 30 people who expressed interest in becoming a vendor.

Community members have indicated in the Facebook group that they would be willing to sell items such as antiques, fresh eggs, bags, photographs, candles and more.

There is still a need for volunteers to help coordinate the event, and it could be an opportunity to get local residents involved in planning community events, he said.

Uhl said a historical marker within Greenville Park is one of the projects the fundraiser could support. It would tell about the history of the "Thunder Valley" truck and tractor pulls that occurred in Greenville in the 1970s and 1980s.

The fundraiser could also help with costs associated with rezoning of properties the commission hopes to preserve, including historical buildings that have been put up for sale in recent years.

Keeley looks forward to bringing people into Greenville Park for a community event, and he hopes it could become an annual event. In recent years, the park has been enhanced with the renovation of basketball courts and the addition of amenities such as a new pathway and story walk.

"Hopefully we can get a good turnout and get people excited about being out in the community again," he said. "We have this beautiful park they've just redone. It's so underutilized, and we need to get more things for the community in that park."

Uhl said the commission is still in the planning process and is "doing everything we need to make sure it is a good event and a successful event that's safe for everyone involved."