Farm Market and Food Truck Friday will be held in Greencastle monthly June to October
Shawn HardyThere will be a new reason to say TGIF in Greencastle later this year, with Farm Market and Food Truck Friday planned the first Friday of the month from June to October.
It is being organized by the owners of consign & collect and the shop to support local farmers, artists and entrepreneurs while cultivating small business growth, helping people get fresh, nutritious food and building a sense of community, according to Melissa Hohl of consign & collect.
Spots are available for farmers and other growers who sell fruits, vegetables, plants, herbs, flowers, grains, meat, eggs and dairy products; producers of baked goods, jams, jellies and honey; artisans; and food trucks.
"I love this town, my kids all graduated from G-A, I worked at a local Greencastle church for several years and started a business here, consign & collect, with my business partner Chris Johnston," Hohl said.
They opened consign & collect in March 2021 and the shop, Johnston's business, has been a part of the downtown community for the last eight years.
"I'm grateful that I have a business partner who listened to my idea and jumped right on my bandwagon,"Hohl said. "I'm a firm believer in the power of community, and if you want good things to happen sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves, put your idea out there and get it done.
"Even though it is growing, Greencastle still has that great small town feel, and I've always wanted to see a farmers market here, a friendly place where you get to know the vendors, maybe grab a bite to eat from a food truck, listen to music and socialize with neighbors," Hohl said.
In the community: Consign & collect co. open for business in Greencastle
That's what people did when the Borough of Greencastle held a monthly Thursday evening farmers market in the spring, summer and fall of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Farm Market and Food Truck Friday is generating excitement on social media and seems to be well supported by the community, according to Hohl.
"If the first year proves to be successful, we would like to see it become a regular summertime event," she said.
Farm Market and Food Truck Friday will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. on the lawn between consign & collect at 136 E. Baltimore St. and the shop at 144 E. Baltimore St.
For more information or a vendor application, email greencastlemarket@gmail.com
The cost is $15 per event and all food vendors must provide a valid license from the PA Department of Agriculture.
Shawn Hardy is a reporter with Gannett's Franklin County newspapers in south-central Pennsylvania — the Echo Pilot in Greencastle, The Record Herald in Waynesboro and the Public Opinion in Chambersburg. She has more than 35 years of journalism experience. Reach her at shardy@gannett.com