The Franklin County Farmers Market serves farmers and producers in Franklin County and adjacent counties.  There has been a farmers market in Franklin County for many decades, and we have been located under our Market Pavilion at River View Park in downtown Frankfort since 2004. We are a growers-only market featuring locally grown vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, baked goods, preserves, plants, honey, cheese, cut flowers, and more.  We are open for in person sales 2 days a week from May through October, have an online sales/curbside pickup/workplace delivery market on Thursdays from late April-November, are open on Saturdays as well in late April, October, and November, have a Holiday Market on Thursday and Saturday the second week in December, and have a winter market every other Saturday through the winter. We have many special events including Kids Days, chef demonstrations, live music, and more, and we are active participants in the Kentucky Double Dollars program, Fresh Rx for Moms, and other food access work.   

We have an active Friends of the Market organization and the Market and the Friends organizations work together to make our Farmers Market happen. Each year, the Friends coordinate 11 evening pop-up South Frankfort Food Shares at another downtown city park located in a diverse residential neighborhood. The Food Share is a CSA-style market where customers buy shares at sliding scale prices, and over 75% of the shares feed families with limited income. Each share includes 8-12 different varieties of local produce and comes along with a recipe packet, cooking demonstration and free samples, and kids’ activities. The Friends also support local farm-to-school activities and purchasing. 

In 2018, through a Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant that KCARD supported us in applying for, we started Farm-to-Frankfort, a local food delivery program that currently delivers to 15 area workplaces during a 26-week season.  We expanded this program to create an online order/curbside pickup model when COVID hit, and we continue to offer an online ordering option to market customers.  In 2022, vendor online sales were $169,724 and the market had record total sales of $615,712. Over 1000 people visit our Market on a busy Saturday, and the Market is a public space that brings together people from all parts of our community to celebrate local products and each other. 

Over the years, KCARD has provided our market with assistance in grant writing and board development. KCARD was a huge help in giving feedback on our successful 2017 Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant application. KCARD staff have also led two board trainings for us over the years and served as a sounding board about organizational structure and business planning. We are currently working with KCARD through a Local Food Promotion Program grant that the City of Frankfort has to do planning and a feasibility study around building a community kitchen in our community. We are grateful that we have such a wonderful resource in Kentucky! 

Article provided by Franklin County Farmers Market