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Purpose:
The Dandridge Main Street
Farmers Market operates under the Dandridge Community Trust as a
venture between it, local farmers, UT Agricultural Extension,
the Town of Dandridge, and the public to provide a location in
historic Dandridge where Jefferson County and contiguous county
growers can sell their farm/garden produced items to consumers
during the growing season.
Eligibility:
A farmer or gardener
located within Jefferson County or the contiguous counties of
Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Knox or Sevier that grows his or her
own farm items is eligible to apply.
No reselling of items is
allowed; all products must come from the applicant’s lands or
kitchens. An applicant can also be a small group of farmers or
gardeners who band together to stock a booth with products from
their lands.
Local food vendors may
apply to sell refreshments. These food vendors will be required
to satisfy all town requirements regarding business licenses,
sales tax, and health and USDA and TN Department of Agriculture
regulations.
No children 16 years of age or
younger will be allowed to be in charge of a booth unless a
parent or guardian is in attendance.
On a space available basis,
community groups, clubs, and similar non profits, may apply to
have a market space for sale of refreshments, fundraiser items,
and other similar goods provided the items for sale are in the
spirit of the market and its purpose.
Approval Process:
All applications must be
completely filled out and mailed to:
DCT Farmers Market
P. O. Box 1382
Dandridge TN 37725
They can also be
completed and emailed to
bagarrow@hotmail.com
Each application will be
reviewed by the market operating committee and any questions
asked must be fully answered by the applicant. The UT
Agricultural Extension Agent will schedule a visit with you
prior to acceptance of your application in order to determine
that you are capable of growing the items you intend to sell
that are listed on your application. The agent may also
schedule a visit should the question arise about the orgin of
your items for sale.
All applicants must agree
to abide by the regulations of the Town of Dandridge, Jefferson
County, the TN Department of Agriculture and the USDA. If
approved, you will be notified in writing (or by email) of your
booth number and the market dates for which you are accepted.
Spaces are limited so if accepted and all spaces are full, you
will be placed on a waiting list. If accepted and you are not
going to be able to participate every market day, you must call
the Market Manager at least one week in advance of the date you
can’t attend.
The Market Manager’s phone
number is 865-368-9097 (a cell phone- if no answer please leave
a message). Those on the waiting list will be called in the
order accepted to determine if they can fill a spot in your
absence. It is important to keep the market as full of vendors
as possible to offer a range of items and choice of products to
the customer.
Liability:
All applicants by
submitting an application assume liability for the any damage
caused resulting from the sale of their products. By signing
your application you also agree to hold harmless the Town of
Dandridge and the Dandridge Main Street Farmers Market/Dandridge
Community Trust from any all liability resulting from a sale of
your product to a consumer, or from any action resulting from
your participation in the market.
Display and Sale of
Products:
All accepted applicants
agree to provide an attractive, clean and tidy display of their
items for sale and arrive at the market well in advance of the
opening hour in order to be ready to sell at the designated
time. Depending on the market layout, lyou may be able to have
one vehicle per vendor on site; any other vehicles must be
parked in the Jefferson County Courthouse parking lot. If
the market grows and there is no on-site space, all vehicles
will be required to park in the courthouse parking lot.
Once unloaded, no vehicles will be allowed in the market during
market hours and all vendor vehicles are required to park in the
nearby courthouse parking lot.
No vendor can sell in
advance of posted market hours. 2010 hours are 8 a.m. until 12
noon.
During market hours, one
street parking space will be available for resupplying your
booth and all vendors will share that space.
It is required that each
vendor stay through the market’s close. If you sell out early,
you may place a sign on you booth so stating. This is a
safety requirement.
To the extent of its
ability, the market will endeavor to provide a tent to cover
/shade your display. Tables, table coverings, display baskets,
etc. are to be supplied by you. Signage is to detail the
items to be sold and their price. Each vendor shall have at
least one sign posted at its booth that lists the vendor name,
address, and phone number. We will also hold a space on the
street available for customer loading and unloading so that
elderly persons or other persons do not have to haul heavy
produce to their car.
All sales and monies will
be handled by you or your designee as the market will not have
funds on hand for such purposes.
Any scales used in the
course of your sales must have a current inspection sticker from
the TN Dept. of Agriculture. Items may be sold by some by
some other measure than weight; e.g. by the bag, handful, etc.
Any meat sold or orders taken
for meat sales must be processed in a USDA Inspected Facility.
Meats sold onsite must have a Dept. of Agriculture stamp (this
rule does not apply to poultry sold at the market; however, it
has to also be processed by a USDA inspected facility.
At the end of each market
day, each seller is required to clean up any trash produced by
it or its buyers and to leave their booth area clean.
Additionally, in order to keep track of the market’s success,
each vendor must respond to short survey listing the items sold
and the total gross revenue earned. That survey form will also
have a space where you can commit to returning the following
week. Your comments and suggestions will also be solicited.
Consumers may also be
asked to fill out a survey of their thoughts and suggestions as
well.
The market supports
sustainability and will encourage consumers to bring their own
bags in which to carry their purchases. However, be prepared
that not all consumers will bring bags and you will need to
supply some packaging.
Items to be Supplied by
the Market:
The Dandridge Main Street
Farmers Market will supply tents to shade the booths to the
extent it has funds to do so, as well as a porta-potty and trash
cans to maintain a clean and sanitary location. A first aid kit
will be on hand but any costs of injury or illness will be the
responsibility of those affected. The market will also pay for
signage and other promotional materials to advertise the market
to help make it a success.
The market has access to
electricity and if you need electrical power you need to bring
outdoor rated extension cords and make sure they are taped down
so as not to constitute a safety hazard.
Market Hours:
The market will operate on
Saturdays from 9 AM until 1 PM at the parking lot at the corner
of Meeting and Gay Streets (Hwy 92 and US Hwy 25/70 intersection
at the yellow blinking caution light), one block north of the
Jefferson County Courthouse. The market will be begin June
12 and plans to run as long as the growing conditions
allow—usually through art of October.
Fees:
For market year 2010, the
following fees apply:
- All booths pay $5/market day; fee
collected at market close.
- If paid a month in advance, you can
reserve a space and pay a reduced fee ($16 for four weeks).
- Spaces must be reserved by Wednesday at 5
p.m. for the following market Saturday. Space will be made
available on a first come, first serve basis.
- If you do not reserve your space by 5
p.m. on Wednesday prior to the market Saturday, the fee is $10
per market day.
Pets:
Pets must remain
under the control of their owner and will not be allowed off a
leash or in some other appropriate restraint. The Market
Manager reserves the right to ask an owner to remove their pet
from the market place. No animal will be brought to the
market for sale, unless it is by a humane society or some other
similar organizaton.
Smoke Free:
The Dandridge Main Street
Farmers Market is a smoke free environment.
Other Rules:
There shall be no whining
at the market except to the Market Manager (the onsite
representative of the Market Operating Committee). The Market
Manager will arbitrate any on-site disputes, answer questions,
and be a resource for the sellers and consumers. Any on-site
decision made by the Market Manager will be final.
Any vendor who the Market
Manager determines is out of compliance with these rules will
first receive a written warning from the Market Manager
detailing the problem (s). If the problem is not corrected
quickly and appropriately, the vendor will be asked to leave the
market and not be allowed to return unless remedial measures are
undertaken and approved by the Market Operating Committee. The
Market Manager has the authority to make on-site decisions to
maintain the orderly functioning of the market.
Any
outstanding complaints can be brought to the attention of the
Market Operating Committee for further resolution. The Market
Operating Committee is composed of a representative of the
Dandridge Community Trust, the UT Agricultural Extension Agent,
a consumer representative, and several farmers. It may be
reached by calling (865) 397-7420 ext. 17, or (865) 368-9097 (a
cell phone).
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