Farmer's Market may move to Norris Park
Moving the local Farmer's Market to Norris Park would be good for the vendors and the buyers, said a representative of the McCook Main Street organization.
Sonia Caldwell, a volunteer with McCook Lied Main Street program, asked the McCook City Council at its regular meeting Monday night if the idea was feasible.
Although the logistics were briefly discussed, the council did not vote on the item as it wasn't on the agenda. Still, the council appeared warm to the idea and directed Caldwell to Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff for further discussion.
The Farmer's Market was started 12 years ago by Ivan Schmid and has traditionally been located between A and B Streets on West First, where homegrown produce has been sold from July to September. Moving it to Norris Park would make it more visible to consumers and easier to locate, Caldwell said, as well as provide shade and restrooms. It would also make it more family-friendly, she added, and allow the farmers market to expand.
Caldwell proposed using the south or east side of the park with about 15-30 vendors selling produce at curb-side from 8 a.m. until they sold out, usually within two hours, she said. This may require closing off G and East First Streets for a short time but the streets would still be available for neighborhood parking, she said.
"We don't want to inconvenience anyone," she stressed.