Don Morgan, who founded the Marblehead Farmers’ Market in 1997, has just retired as its president, handing the reins over to Sally Marcy, a local craft vendor who has been involved with the nonprofit for the last 10 years.
At 77 years old, Morgan isn’t exactly slowing down. He’ll still serve as the Farmers’ Market treasurer, and he’s heavily involved with the Marblehead Conservancy. He leads the Trails and Forestry Committee, organizing the volunteer crews that maintain the trails.
“The Farmers’ Market provides a vehicle for local farmers to sell their goods,” Morgan said. “If you can help them be profitable, they won’t have to sell their land, and you keep more open space.” There are 35 to 40 farmers in Essex County, he added.
The Farmers’ Market opened at Gatchell’s Park but moved quickly to the Village School field and then to the lot behind Veterans School.
When asked about highlights from over the years, Morgan smiled and shared a story.
“I was at Crosby’s way back when, behind two — at the time I thought they were old ladies, now they seem a lot younger — and one said to the other, ‘You’ve got to go to the Farmers’ Market. We don’t buy anything, but we all meet and talk about our grandchildren,’” he said. “To me, that was sort of emblematic of it being a place that people enjoy gathering. They probably did buy something, but it wasn’t their primary purpose being there.”
Community fabric
Marblehead’s is one of the longest running farmers’ markets on the North Shore, Morgan said.
“There’s a tremendous community fabric here,” he said “We just had the Festival of Arts. What a wonderful thing. Volunteers make people feel alive. The museums we have here are just great, too. The Farmers’ Market is part of that fabric.”
Morgan also loves that people can talk directly with farmers at the market.
“You can ask them what the variety is, what its advantage is compared to other varieties, how to cook it or preserve it,” he said. “You can learn a lot about the food you eat. You get none of that if you go to the grocery store.”
He added, “And I do believe in supporting our local farms and vendors. All the money goes into the local community.”
Farmers’ Market manager Stephen Fowler said Morgan is a big reason why the market has been around for so long.
“Don’s dedication to the market is what made the market the great event that it is,” Fowler said. “If he saw a need for something, he would track down a local producer to fill it. Over the years he added more vendors and grew the market. The amount of energy and time he gave to the market was huge. “
COVID’s impact
Asked how the market has changed over the years, Morgan answered, “There used to be more children’s activities. But the biggest change was COVID. The word ‘awful’ isn’t a bad enough word to describe what happened during COVID.”
In the first year of the pandemic, the market had to be roped off with only 30 people inside at a time.
“It’s been very slow for people to come back,” he said. “Each year since COVID, we’ve done a little better. I’m hoping this year we’ll be back to breaking even.”
So, what is Morgan’s favorite thing to eat at the Farmers’ Market?
“Corn,” he answered without a pause. “Oh, and strawberries are high on the list, too — when they’re fully ripe and they’re both sweet and tart at the same time. There’s nothing like a fresh strawberry.”
The Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon until Nov. 23, behind the Veterans School on Pleasant Street.
