The Chillicothe Farmers Market opened its first day in a permanent new home on Saturday, welcoming shoppers into the new multipurpose pavilion in Yoctangee Park as the centerpiece of the park’s grand reopening weekend in downtown Chillicothe.
The market’s opening day in the pavilion came one day after the City of Chillicothe celebrated the completion of the Yoctangee Park improvements with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, November 6, at the park’s new amphitheater, according to the city’s announcement of the event. The project was funded through the Appalachian Community Grant Program, administered by the Ohio Department of Development and the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, the city said.
The new location inside the multipurpose building gives the market shelter year-round, keeping vendors and customers out of the snow and rain, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. Bay windows on each side of the building allow airflow and easy access to and from the park, and the pavilion sits next to the amphitheater and the renovated Armory, steps from downtown.
The market has operated in several locations in recent years, with vendors often found in the parking lot of the Ross County Service Center, an area that offered no shade or protection from the elements, the Gazette reported. James Hall, owner of Risen Bakery and the Chillicothe Farmers Market president, told the Chillicothe Gazette that vendors have been excited to move into the new space.
“We get to bring 30 more small local businesses to the downtown region and with that comes hundreds of more shoppers,” Hall told the Chillicothe Gazette. “Our hope is that they come from the farmers market and they just walk right up the street to go right into downtown to all those awesome businesses.”
The wider Yoctangee Park project includes the new outdoor amphitheater and multipurpose pavilion, a complete renovation of the historic Armory, a new Diamond One baseball field, a new skatepark, new pickleball courts, renovated tennis courts, renovations to the 40 & 8 fish stand, and new sidewalks and greenspaces throughout the park, according to the city.
The Chillicothe Farmers Market takes place every Saturday, and its new pavilion home is designed as a year-round, climate-controlled venue for the market and other community events. Additional information about the park and upcoming events is available at chillicotheoh.gov and on the City of Chillicothe’s social media pages, the city said.