Local farmers bring fresh produce to Oakland

With only about two dozen ears of corn left on her table, Marilynn McElhinny marveled at the… With only about two dozen ears of corn left on her table, Marilynn McElhinny marveled at the success of the first-ever Oakland Farmers’ Market this July.

“We did really well,” the grower of McElhinny sweet corn from Evans City, Pa., said.

Until the Friday before Thanksgiving, Oakland will continue to serve as the host of a farmers’ market, where vendors will sell fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers and other Western Pennsylvania-grown goodies.

The market takes place Fridays, between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sennott Street, between Atwood Street and Meyran Avenue.

Georgia Petropoulos, the executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, said in July that the idea to host a farmers’ market was first thought up two or three years ago, because of the lack of a grocery store in Central Oakland. Since there was no close location to buy fresh produce, fresh produce would come to Oakland.

Petropoulos said that after the idea sprouted, getting the market coordinated was a grass-roots campaign.

Because of the poor financial status of the city, many organizations had to collaborate to plan the market.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and councilmen Bill Peduto and Gene Ricciardi helped provide funding.

“There’s a lot of players, a lot of people want it,” Petropoulos said this summer.

Chris Walhberg – the founder of Mung Dynasty, a company that specializes in seeds, sprouts, micro-greens and Asian foods – stood at his booth at the end of the market’s first day with only a few remaining containers of sprouts.

Walhberg said that he had no expectations for the first market and was just happy to be back in the neighborhood where his business started 30 years ago.

During the inaugural market, colorful annuals, perennials and shrubs were ornamentally displayed in front of a large nursery truck.

Dan Higgins, a grower for Michael Brothers Nursery of Russleton, stood behind them, satisfied with the turnout.

“I was hopeful that it would be a good market because of the UPMC employees and the Pitt employees,” Higgins said.

“I’ll be here all summer,” he added. “I’m in it for the long run.”