On Saturday, July 4, under the trees on a blocked-off South Madison Street, the new Middleburg Community Farmers' Market Committee staged its first, and by all accounts highly successful, Middleburg Farmers Market. Ironically, the very success of the market's Fourth-of-July debut, sparked a movement to make South Madison Street its permanent home and intense discussion and debate among Town Council members, united in support of the new market committee, but divided in how best to capitalize on its success.

The Break with LVHMA

For years, the Middleburg Farmers' Market had been run and promoted by the independent, non-profit, Loudoun Valley HomeGrown Markets Association. LVHMA runs similar markets in Leesburg, Ashburn, Brambleton, Cascades, and Purcellville.

On June 8, at a regular Council work session, Council member Lisa Patterson, expressed concern about both the current operating guidelines of the LVHMA-run market and its long-term survivability.

Patterson, the owner of the Mello Out Cafe on Middleburg's East Federal Street, had participated in the market as a vendor for the first time on the preceding Saturday. Most vendors, she said, complained that the market was "slow," and that several long-time vendors were no longer participating.

She told her colleagues that, in her case, LVHMA had required that she fill out a detailed and sometimes redundant application, pay $25 to submit it, then pay a $20 per week or $100 for the season market set-up fee. On top of that, she was required to write a check to LVHMA for 3% of her farmers' market gross revenues within 24 hours of the market's close of business.

Supported by Judith Pryor Plescow, Kathy Jo Shea, Mark Snyder, and Trowbridge Littleton, Mayor Betsy Davis asked the town staff to "deal with this matter quickly, assigned the task to Economic Development Coordinator, Cindy Pearson, and appointed Council Member Judith Pryor Plescow as special Council liaison.

Swift Action

The Town's Community Center, Pearson soon discovered, had no contract with LVHMA and was happy to work with a new Middleburg-based group. Loudoun County, she noted, had also withdrawn financial support for LVHMA, and Lovettsville, South Riding, and Sterling were already running their own markets.

By June 25, at Council's regular Work Session, Pearson reported that a new Middleburg Area Farmers' Market Committee had been established, had held meetings, and had drawn up guidelines for membership and operations, and would be ready to stage its first market on July 1. A day earlier, on June 24, the Town had formally broken its ties to LVHMA.

According to Pearson, as soon as she "notified LVHMA that the Town would no longer sponsor their farmers' market" she received calls from the organization's Vice President and Market Manager, who were "not happy with the Town's decision to pull out mid year."

The die was cast, however, and because the Town's Fourth of July Celebrations fell on a Saturday, a new venue would be required for the weekend Farmers' Market.

Thus, on July 4, under the trees on South Madison Street, the Middleburg Farmer's market took on what at least one visitor described as "the ambience of a European country village market."

From start to finish, the entire process had taken less than a month.

What Do We Do NOW?

The new market was a roaring success. There were happy vendors, happy local merchants, happy 4th-of-July visitors, and a happy council that found itself suddenly facing the question of how to keep a good thing going.

On July 7, the Board of the Middleburg Business and Professional Association met at Town Hall, with Punkin Lee, Ken Reid, Kim O'Donnell, JoAnn Hazard, Marny Birkitt, Dee Dee Hubbard & ex-officio member Cindy Pearson present.

By all accounts, all were delighted at the new market's success, though no official motion to that effect was passed. In any case, several of the organization's Board would be present at the next Town Council Meeting.