SOMERS POINT — The Patriots for Somers Mansion will host a Farmers Market beginning July 2 on the grounds of Atlantic County’s oldest home.
The event will be held 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Sept. 3 at Somers Mansion, which proudly stands atop a bluff overlooking Great Egg Harbor Bay at 1000 Shore Road.
Rob Hopkins, a member of the city’s Economic Development Advisory Commission, was tasked with organizing and managing the market.
He said the idea has been kicked around for a few years now, noting Shore Medical Center operated one a few years back and a pop-up market last summer.
“This year, through the diligent work of City Administrator Jason Frost and City Council President Janice Johnston, the city received a grant” that will fund the event, he said.
Somers Point secured a Neighborhood Preservation Program grant for its Bayfront District, and will use it to fund street lighting improvements; add trash/recycling receptacles, benches, flags and wayfinding signs; and expand waterfront access.
“The history of Atlantic County and Somers Point cannot be told without the mention of Somers Mansion, where the first recorded home garden was tilled and farmed by the Somers family hundreds of years ago,” Hopkins said. “With the help and support from the nonprofit group, The Patriots for Somers Mansion, and their success with the Christmas Mart in December 2021, it made perfect sense for it to be the location of the city’s newest event.”
Hopkins said products that will be available include fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables; local farm-raised meats; fresh herbs; kettle corn; fresh lemonade; iced tea and coffee; hand-crafted organic soaps; cut flowers; local honey; fresh blueberries; and hemp-derived products such as topicals, pet treats and tinctures.
Hopkins said there is plenty of parking in a lot off MacArthur Boulevard below the mansion, a handicapped-accessible bathroom on site and access via foot or bike from the city bike path.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
