The New Harvest Farmers’ Market will officially kick off its 2019 season at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 with at-large Knox County Commissioner Justin Biggs ringing the opening bell.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at New Harvest Park (4775 New Harvest Park Lane). This year, Nourish Knoxville, which oversees a number of local markets throughout the area including the Market Square Farmers’ Market, will manage the New Harvest Farmers’ Market. Nourish Knoxville will also host the first Power of Produce (PoP) Club of the season on opening day, with free activities for children. Participating children receive $5 in PoP Bucks to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, made possible by Bank of America.
“Spring exemplifies new beginnings and we’re excited about the upcoming farmers’ market season and a new partnership with Nourish Knoxville,” said Paul White, senior director of the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department. “We hope this season will be bigger and better than ever.”
The New Harvest Farmers’ Market will be open from 3-6 p.m. every Thursday through Nov. 21.
“We’ve been working closely with New Harvest for many years in partnership on grants and programs, and we are so excited to be involved in the management,” said Charlotte Tolley, Executive Director of Nourish Knoxville. “We’ll be bringing some of our programs to improve access to local food and to increase income for farmers, and look forward to building upon the success of this market.”
The April 18 event will include roughly 25 vendors and will feature an assortment of locally-grown produce, meats, artisan food products, honey, plants, herbs, flowers, crafts and much more. The market will host a number of special events throughout the year, including the popular Blueberry Festival in June and the Corn & Tomato Festival in July.
Nourish Knoxville also provides a SNAP doubling program called Double Up Food Bucks, which provides Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) customers with up to $20.00 per day in matched tokens to spend on fresh produce at participating farmers’ markets. Matching dollars are provided by Truck2Table, Humana and Three Rivers Market.
