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Ozark Farmers Market, which currently operates at The OC, above, is moving to Finley Farms for its 13th season.
Photo courtesy Finley Farms
Ozark Farmers Market, which currently operates at The OC, above, is moving to Finley Farms for its 13th season.

Farmers market relocates to Ozark Mill

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Ozark Farmers Market is relocating to the Ozark Mill at the Finley Farms development that Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris is creating near the city’s downtown area.

The farmers market starts its 13th season May 2. It will operate on Thursdays through September at Ozark Mill, according to a news release. It previously was located at the Ozark Community Center, aka The OC, said Katherine Dowdy, co-founder and treasurer of the Ozark Farmers Market, via email.

“We believe in the value of local food and the importance of gathering spaces like farmers markets to strengthen a community,” said Megan Morris, Johnny Morris’ daughter who’s working on Finley Farms and the mill restoration project, in the release. “The Ozark Farmers Market is a proud community tradition that we think will reach great new heights as part of the Finley Farms experience.”

The Ozark Farmers Market will be set up near The Workshop, a former industrial garage at Finley Farms that’s being converted into a culinary, crafts and gardening workshop venue.

Dowdy said the farmers market counts around 25 vendors, who bring produce, fruit, baked goods, beef, eggs, crafts and other items to the weekly event. Food trucks and live music acts also are in attendance at the 3-7 p.m. farmers market.

“Guests will enjoy our proximity to the Finley River and park, as well as the city’s walking trails,” Dowdy said in the release. “It’s the ideal setting to showcase the locally grown foods and artisanal products of our vendors.”

At Finley Farms, crews earlier this year relocated the historic Ozark Mill to a newly constructed foundation as part of revitalization efforts.

Johnny Morris had stayed quiet about some 32 acres he owns around Ozark Mill until January 2018, when he signaled development plans. With the mill serving as the focal point, other planned Finley Farms features include an urban farm, restaurant, speakeasy, an ice cream parlor, and private and public event areas.

The first components are slated to open later this year, with the ice cream parlor, dubbed The Post, scheduled to be finished in the first half of 2019, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

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