NORTH BEACH, MD - In a way, no one could have predicted how well the North Beach Farmers’ Market would unfold. When organizers first began broaching the subject of putting together such an effort in the Town of North Beach, some said it wouldn’t work. Others said, “it’s a pain.” Ah, contraire.
“We have been going gangbusters,” said organizer Diane Burr. “People have been standing in line by 6 o’clock. Farmers have been sold out by 7. It’s just incredible. It has become the most popular thing.
“We started in March and April, thinking about it,” Burr added. “The idea came from the mayor and town council, who thought it would be a great idea. We talked to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Calvert County agriculture folks, the people at economic development have been really great. We also talked to the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland who has the “So Maryland, So Good” program. They were very helpful, supporting us, giving us tips.”
Burr said she also talked to Hagner Reid Mister, former Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, and said he was helpful as well.
“I talked to Allen Swann and asked him what he would consider the perfect farmers’ market and he told me that they always just sold wholesale,” she recalled. “He said, ‘it’s just a pain. We wouldn’t want to do something like that.’ But I asked him again what he thought the perfect farmer’s market would be like and he gave me so much advice that we decided just to put it together, taking note of the problems others said they have had, and focused on creating the ideal market and decided we were going to create that.”
Although Swann didn’t participate, his son did, and sold out within the hour.
“He went home and told his dad the first night,” Burr said. “Last week, Allen came out and said, ‘this is just the best.’ The Swanns are our anchor,” she added.
“We’re a walking town,” Burr noted. “We’re really different from a lot of areas. It just makes a lot of sense for North Beach. We’re being compared to Eastern Market in Washington, where neighbors come out and meet one another. You can get the greatest produce, look at the historic cars at the cruise-in, we’ve been having some entertainment … it’s exciting.
“We had a thunderstorm last week, but all of the farmers were sold out by the time it hit,” she added. “Everybody scattered.”
The Calvert Independent
