Tift Park Community Market set to open 10th season in Albany

ALBANY — Sunny with a high of 75 degrees is pretty much as good as it gets in terms of southwest Georgia weather, and that’s what is predicted for the 10th opening day of the Tift Park Community Market on Saturday.

“We’re excited,” Friends of Tift Park President Stephen Brimberry said. “I know the vendors are. We’re always excited this time of year. It brings in the spring.”

There was no confirmed count of who will be selling on Saturday, but based on past years, Brimberry said he expects that about 30 vendors will turn out for the opening. Market hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The opening day coincides with the Combos Marathon, whose route will take runners by the market. The Downtown Street Festival on the same day also will bring traffic by the park on North Jefferson Street. The market attracts people from the Albany area and beyond, and even international travelers in town to do business stop by.

“That’s one of the reasons we chose the first Saturday in March, because it’s usually a good spring day and you have the runners going by and they sometimes stop by afterwards to see what Albany has to offer,” Brimberry said. “A lot of people will be in town for the Combos run.

“Most of our vendors come from Lee County, Sylvester, Albany. The visitors come from all over. (If) you go to Tripadvisor (website), we’re still in the top three of things to do in Albany.”

The organization is still working on a schedule of special events, Brimberry said, but the traditional Christmas in July is already on the calendar, as is an Easter event. And in April, a local walking club will kick off a new spring.

“We are doing an Easter egg hunt with the city of Albany,” the Friends’ president said. “It’ll be on March 25. That will be the first big event of the season. The walking club is just a lot of people taking advantage of the walking track.”

Also planned for the 2023 market season, which runs through October, is live entertainment and a renewed focus on produce and area farmers. The Holsey Family Farm and the Vann Family Farm will be among the main produce vendors.

“This year we’re bringing back fresh eggs,” Brimberry said. “We’ll have more presence with the farmers.”

The market is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and preserve Tift Park, and Brimberry encouraged people to visit and check out what it has to offer. He also reminded people not to be confused by the name as Tift Park is not located in the Tift County seat of Tifton.

“Our big thing is just letting people know we’re out here every Saturday and we’re in Albany,” he said.