Watauga County Farmers' Market
Boone, North Carolina
How to Join the 2010 Market
Watauga County Farmers' Market has placed a moratorium on membership for the foreseeable future in order to find a balance between customer parking and vendor spaces. Applications from local farmers may be considered for a regular membership or a Wednesday only membership. The application can be printed from the link below. Please read carefully and fill out the application form front and back completely. Application is invalid without signature. Print legibly or type. Illegible applications will not be accepted. Please enclose a check in the amount of $100 for the annual dues which will be refunded if your application is not accepted. Mail to Watauga County Farmers' Market, PO Box 2177, Boone, North Carolina, 28607. Look for details to be posted on this site or call market manager Karen Bauman at 1-828-355-4918 for more information.
Membership in Watauga County Farmers' Market is limited to residents of Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, and Johnson counties. All vendors must follow the market rules and comply with all applicable regulations. Please call market manager Karen Bauman at 1-828-355-4918 if you have any questions.
- Watauga County Farmers' Market
- PO Box 2177
- Boone, North Carolina, 28607
Farm Products and Nursery Items
Locally grown products are a big success at the farmers' market and priority at the market is given to growers. Vendors at the market have everything from cut flowers to local meats. Please ask about specific regulations concerning your particular products.
NC Choices has lots of info on producing, preparing and marketing meats.
Baked Goods
Baked goods and other shelf stable goods require a one time kitchen inspection and an annual water test. Call Karen for the contact information. All food items must be properly labeled according to current standards.
Please attach copies of your NCDA kitchen inspection and annual water test to your application.
Ready to eat items such as sandwiches fall under the county health department jurisdiction. The market currently can not provide facilities for such items.
Crafts
Watauga County Farmers' Market limits the number of craft vendors to half of the available vendor spaces. Craft juries are held every odd year, with two market craft vendors and three local experts serving on the jury.
All spots for the 2009/2010 season are filled, and there is a waiting list has been formed to fill any openings.
All craft vendors must follow the current Guidelines for Crafts.
How to get a spot
Spaces are assigned to vendors who have paid for the entire previous season's weekly rent whether they were in attendance or not, who have attended a minimum of 17 markets in the previous season and who have paid their membership dues for the current year by the conclusion of the annual membership meeting. Each vendor is given a score based on the year the vendor joined, plus the number of weeks the vendor attended in the previous season. For example, a vendor who has been a member for 7 years and attended 20 markets in 2009 will have a score of 27. These assigned spots are chosen on cleanup day, the last Saturday in April.
Vendors who have not met the criteria to receive an assigned space are allowed to set up in available spaces on a week to week basis.
If you have questions, read the Amended, Revised and Restated Rules of the Watauga County Farmers’ Market, or contact the Market Manager or an Officer.
