Farmers markets

All sorts of farmers markets are in full swing in Colorado. Today, there's a new addition in Broomfield with a different purpose than the rest.

The Legacy Farmers Market at Legacy High School aims to raise money for the school to support its athletics teams, rather than having players just go door to door selling pizzas or what have you to subsidize rising fuel costs for buses to get to games, etc. Organizer Paul Madigan's goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the summer, though the goal for today is just to break even. (Madigan has kids who are either in or have graduated from the school.)

The market is starting very, very small and doesn't even really have farmers selling at the market yet. Instead, a handful of vendors like Mountain Man snacks, and two brokers are bringing produce from Colorado, Texas, Arizona and California. When asked why there aren't farmers at the farmers market, Madigan said farmers he's spoken with are already committed to doing other farmers markets in the area (Boulder has a thriving market scene). He said he hopes to gain a track record though this summer and eventually attract farmers to sell at the Legacy market. "For them to come to an unproven market wouldn't be fair," he says. "After two weeks, we'll have a proven record."

The market runs today, 6/27, from 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Legacy High School's west parking lot in Broomfield, 2701 W 136th Ave.

"It's a gamble, but the feedback I've gotten from people is, 'we need one (a farmers market) of our own.' A lot of people are driving to Boulder, Thornton, Westminster, Niwot. 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the shcool. Not one penny is going anywhere else but to the school," Madigan said.
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The market is still a work in progress. Madigan doesn't want to charge fees to any vendors, instead charging a percentage of sales. But the percentage hasn't been determined yet. Will it work? We'll have to see.