The Market on the Square features foods sold by farmers from the Knox County area on the public square of Mount Vernon, county seat of Knox County, Ohio. Interest in a farmer’s market arose in response to the Rural Life Center’s 2000 publication of HomeGrown: A Guide to Local Food Products in Knox County, Ohio. When the market first opened, in June 2001, nine farmers sold all their goods in twenty minutes, whereupon they rushed back to their farms to get more food.

    Today the market features over three dozen farmers who sell a wide variety of goods, including meats, fruits, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, specialty products, and flowers. Many operate organic farms. The market has also become a center of sociability, bringing large numbers of people to the historic district as part of the city’s downtown revitalization effort.

    The Market on the Square operates 9 a.m.–noon every Saturday from early June through October. For more information, contact market manager Troy Cooper at 740-397-0401 or cooper351@ag.osu.edu.