HAZLEHURST – Organizers are preparing for Copiah County’s inaugural farmers market Saturday.

     Copiah County farmers will put on the first of what organizers hope to be many Copiah County Farmers Markets Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 128 North Ragsdale St. in downtown Hazlehurst by the railroad tracks.

      David Yowell, manager of the Copiah County Farmers Market, said much is planned for Saturday.

     County and city officials will be present around 10 a.m. from all incorporated communities in the county. Guitarist Steve Pitts will be playing music.

     At noon there will be a cooking demonstration by Shelley Curtis featuring local produce and fruits.

     “We’ll hopefully have a large variety of fruits and vegetables,” said Yowell. “From talking to some of the farmers, the warm winter has given their crops a boost. Some planted early and it’s beginning to show up.”

     Saturday’s market will be the first farmers market held Copiah County, according to many people. The market will run every Saturday through October.

     Yowell said as of early in the week, 11 farmers were committed.

     “We’re still looking for venders from Copiah County as well as surrounding counties,” he said. “You don’t have to be from Copiah.”

     The fee to participate as a vendor is $5 a week or $50 for the whole season. Eight spaces are available in a covered pavilion on first come, first served basis. The first eight that pay $50 up front get their pick of a space, according to Yowell.

     Fruit and vegetable lovers will be excited to see what the farmers have harvested.

     “We’ll have a full range of fruits and vegetables for sale,” Yowell said. “We probably won’t have watermelons on opening day, but in the next couple weeks we should have some.”

     Yowell said people in the area have been looking forward to the market for some time.

     “We’re experienced a lot of interest from people in the area,” he said. “Everyone I’ve talked to has said they can’t wait to get this open and going. So I think we’ll have a great crowd.”

     The possibility exists of expanding the market in the future, depending on how things go, Yowell said.

     For more information, visit FarmersMarket.hazlechamber.com or

contact Yowell at 769-232-2657.