MACOMB – “Local food is about getting the freshest and best-tasting food. It’s also about connecting to and strengthening your community.” Anna Lappé, author and educator.
On July 10, 1975, a pickup truck pulled up on the Macomb Square and two women set up a wood plank and sawhorses and placed tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans for sale on the makeshift table and with that, the Macomb Farmers Market was born.
The market’s first director was WIU Communication Professor Emeritus Gloria Hurh. Other directors over the years included Miriam Beveridge, Grace Hartmann, Susan Pace, Ron and Marilyn Coons and the City of Macomb/ Downtown Development.
According to Hurh, the first market came about as a group of the Macomb Downtown Development members, which was composed mostly of business owners who were in favor of starting a market in downtown Macomb. Bob Melton was one of the business professionals in favor and helped get it off the ground, Hurh recalled.
“We were in Ann Arbor, Michigan the summer before, and I remember they had a wonderful farmers market, so I was all in favor of starting one here too. I saw the ad placed for a director and I was hired to run the market, which I did for about two years,” Hurh said. “I didn’t get paid much, but I was able to save my money for a three-speed bike, which was in vogue then.”
When Hurh was managing the market, it was on the inner circle of the Courthouse Square, and anyone could set up. There were mostly produce stands, sometimes people with kittens to give away and occasionally larger producers who had apple orchards and specialty crops, and the vendors would pay a small fee based on the percentage of the sales, she explained.
“It was really a great meeting place for people to join together,” Hurh said.
Fifty years later, the MFM, now under the direction of Alyson Sturgis of Macomb, continues on Thursdays and Saturdays in Chandler Park during the summer months, making it the longest-running farmers market in downstate Illinois. According to the Museum of American History, the number of farmers markets nationwide dwindled to just about 100 around 1960. But as the number of farmers markets grew over the years to the thousands, the Macomb Farmers Market led the charge as it continued to evolve since its 1975 debut.
The market was led for many years by the City of Macomb, but in the mid-2000s, the program was turned over to the vendors. It ran under John Greenwood for a few years, which included a newly-added winter market, and in Spring 2024, Sturgis, who had been a vendor with her 1050 Bakehouse business, with the support of the vendors, formed a Macomb Farmers Market with a Board of Directors and took over the market’s management. Under her direction, the summer and winter markets have grown to include more than 40 vendors, with up to 30 currently being present at any given time, and the market now has 501(c)3 status under Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and Development, Inc.
“Having been to many farmers markets all over the country and being a fan, I have seen what an impact they can have on a community. I wanted the place I live and the market that I participate in to be an asset to the community,” Sturgis said. “My mom took me to the first farmers market in Macomb; I don’t remember it, but she does. For me to now be here and running it is kind of full circle.
According to Sturgis, farmers markets can be an important economic driver of the local economy as they provide direct income opportunities for small farmers, offer consumers fresh, local produce and can foster a sense of community. The markets can also serve as community gathering places and promote social interaction and civic engagement, which is exactly the kind of farmers market Sturgis wants the Macomb Farmers Market to be.
“When I first spoke to Mayor Inman, we were talking about how few points of intersection there were between WIU, farmers, town people, the Amish Community,” she added. “In my mind the farmers market is an invaluable place for all of those people to come together.”
One of the mainstays of the market, Doris Carman, with her famous homemade pies, has been a part of the market for 25 of its 50 years, Sturgis said. Each week at Saturday’s market, Carman brings 30-40 pies and within about an hour or so of opening at 8 a.m., she’s down to her last few or sold out altogether (she also makes pies outside of the MFM, including for JaM restaurant in Industry and by request). As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, a special event that’s fitting for “The Pie Lady” a pie-eating contest - will be held in her honor.
Carman’s foray into pie-making came naturally. She grew up in a “baking household,” so after her retirement from WIU in 1999, she decided that she was going to go into the pie-making business, never dreaming it would morph into such a popular endeavor.
“My mother was always baking pies and cakes, and I’ve always like making pies, so that’s what I decided I was going to do when I retired. And then it just kept growing,” she told the Community News Brief. “I like to make people happy with pies, and I’m always amazed at how fast they sell.”
Carman lost her husband of 58 years, Stan (who had served as the McDonough County Sheriff for almost a decade), about 8 ½ years ago. She said he often helped her, and she misses him as she’s doing the daily prep work and baking. However, Carman said it was her hobby-turned-business that has also kept her busy and motivated following her husband’s passing.
“I’m so busy right now I wonder what I’m doing sometimes,” she laughed. “It’s a lot of work, but I really do like making people happy.”
While the market is no longer a part of Macomb’s Downtown Development, the City of Macomb still supports the market’s endeavors, often highlighting the weekly event as part of the city’s promotions.
“The Macomb Farmers Market has played a vital role in the downtown for five decades,” said Savannah Ballard, marketing and Downtown Development director. “It’s more than just a place to shop—it’s a community tradition that brings people together, supports local growers and makers, and highlights the vibrancy of Downtown Macomb.”
Above: Celebrating a past Macomb Farmer Market milestone. Below: Ribbon cutting celebrating 50 years.
The MFM of today features the mainstays, such as locally- grown produce, plants and flowers and baked goods, along with numerous new additions like locally-raised pasture-raised meat and eggs, honey, homemade popcorn, crafts, personal care products, handcrafted goods, knife-sharpening on site, children’s activities, dog obedience, ready-to-eat food and entertainment. In addition, the Macomb market is unique as it accepts SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and participates in the LinkMatch Program. SNAP customers can swipe their card for $20 and receive $20 in MFM tokens to be spent on wares that are SNAP-eligible. They can also receive an additional $20 in LinkMatch currency, which can be spent on fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and edible plants.
“I have always been a ‘foodie.’ The vision I have for the Macomb Farmers Market, which is included in our mission statement, is to also have an active role in providing a place for young entrepreneurs to try out their business plans in a safe, low-key space,” Sturgis noted. “We have had several McDonough County CEO program participants as vendors, and I’d love nothing more than to have several food vendors try out concepts and develop an expanded food scene in Macomb.
“One day having a commercial kitchen connected to the market for vendors to use like they do in Champaign is a dream, and building a business mentoring program is on the list as well,” she concluded. “Mostly, I love living in Macomb and value the community I live in. Being able to contribute to the economy and the success of our community is a gift.”
Doris Carman, aka “The Pie Lady,” is a longtime MFM mainstay.
