AMHERST — For the first time in years, the Amherst Farmers Market didn’t have to compete with Extravaganja for attention during its opening last Saturday, as the large marijuana festival is moving across the Connecticut River to Northampton this weekend.
The market kicked off its 44th season last Saturday. Unlike previous years when the market returned to its longtime Spring Street home, as well as a portion of Boltwood Avenue, large crowds of people for the event that promotes marijuana legalization with speakers, musicians and vendors were absent.
They are instead set to converge on the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton Saturday for the large annual event that typically draws between 6,000 and 8,000 people. The University of Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition event moved east after Amherst officials declined to renew its permit on the Amherst town commons last year, saying the event had grown too large for Amherst Town Common.
Tammy Ryan, the manager for the market, said before its April 23 opening that not having to compete with the festival meant there would plenty of parking for market customers.
Ryan said the market, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each week through Nov. 21, begins with about 28 vendors, selling various produce, coffee and even grilled cheese sandwiches, and will grow to 36 vendors at the height of the season.
“We have such a wide variety of products this year with increasing diversity as the season progresses,” Ryan said.
Musicians will be on hand each Saturday and classes will be taught by farmers on occasion, such as how to grow wine grapes and lacto-fermentation.
Opinions are mixed in the Amherst business community about the Extravaganja festival’s departure for Northampton, said Sarah la Cour, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District.
While some stores and restaurants told her Extravaganja was their best business weekend of the year, traffic congestion and public safety issues raised concerns for others.
“Many wish it were here, others not so much,” la Cour said.
Three County Fairgrounds General Manager Bruce Shallcross said Monday that a final coordination meeting took place between fairgrounds workers and coalition leaders to address last minute details such as trash can placement, which gates participants will use and traffic patterns.
Last week the coalition leaders paid the remaining upfront fees for renting the fairgrounds, thus closing a several-month process, Shallcross said.
“It began with them not being allowed into the (Amherst) common, looking for an alternative space, and then approaching the city (Northampton) and us to move it over here,” he said.
Shallcross said while the coalition is ultimately responsible for the event, there have been meetings with city police and fire departments to smooth any foreseeable hitches.
There will be parking on either side of the fairgrounds, he said. Police will direct traffic from the street, then UMass event staff will collect a parking fee, and fairgrounds personnel will direct parking.
Shallcross said the Three County Fairgrounds can house about 3,000 cars and he does not expect the parking to max out.
“It’s as good a space as any, I think, for any event,” Shallcross said. “There are fences, it’s secure, and has wide open spaces across about 50 acres.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
