by Geoff Fox
A few years ago, the Town of Hancock hosted a bi-weekly farmer’s market in Joseph Hancock Park along Main Street, but it fell off and disappeared.
Now, the town is looking to reignite the farmer’s market and is looking for vendors to fill spots.
The new farmer’s market will carry the same days – Tuesday and Saturday – and location of Joseph Hancock Park. No fixed time was given, but Town Manager Mike Faith said it would run from 8a.m.to 1p.m.or 2 p.m., “right around there.”
Faith said he’s received numerous phone calls and emails regarding having a farmer’s market and has since put an advertisement in the Hancock News last week.
He said vendors could begin setting up around 7 a.m. and spots are about 15 feet in size.
“We’re not reserving spots. We’re not going to spray paint lines,” he said. “It will be first come first served.”
All items sold at the farmer’s market such as produce, herbs, nuts, fruits, flowers, plants, jellies, soaps, and preserves, must be grown or produced by the vendor.
Mayor Roland Lanehart, Jr. said the previous farmer’s market ran into issues where people were told they had to pay to have spots, however that wasn’t the case then and is not the case now.
It’s free for vendors to have their spot at the farmer’s market, but they still need to register at Town Hall.
Pickleball & disc golf coming to Hancock?
Town officials also discussed possibly adding a disc golf course or pickleball court at the tennis court and improving the basketball courts in Widmeyer Park.
Town Manager Faith said the town wants to improve and renovate those courts and add a pickleball court as well.
As far as the disc golf course, Faith said he talked to the mayor and it could end up in Kirkwood Park.
Pickleball has become popular in Hancock and across the country. The sport was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle and combines many elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, and played with a paddle and plastic ball with holes similar to a wiffle ball.
Mayor Roland Lanehart, Jr. said the current tennis courts are large enough to hold two pickleball courts and a basketball court.
The current basketball court would then be turned into more parking for the Lions Pavilion or other events.
He also charged Faith and one or two councilmen to look at a Hagerstown disc golf course.
Lanehart said he’s talked to members of the Hagerstown Parks and Recreation and after taking a walk around, it would be inexpensive to set up a course for disc golf.
