John Boys Farm to Run New Mt. Kisco Farmers Market

Mount Kisco will have a farmers market again starting in December.

A deal has been reached for the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester to host a year-round version, both indoors and outdoors, with John Boys Farm in charge of it.

"It's kind of a win-win. It worked out pretty good," said John Boys Farm owner John "Boy" Ubaldo, who expects to have 20 vendors lined up for its planned Dec. 3 opening. They include local vendors, such as Pound Ridge-based Home Healing Foods and Shrub Oak-based Hudson Milk.

The arrival of John Boys will be to replace Community Markets, and Ossining-based group that runs several local farmers markets in the Hudson Valley and New York City. It and had indoor and outdoor versions at the Boys & Girls Club, because it felt that its location did not offer enough exposure to generate people coming in. The decision was met with disappointment from people in the community and prompted the village and the Boys & Girls Club to look for a replacement.

Ubaldo is confident that visibility won't be an issue, and says that people will come if they have good local vendors.

The Boys & Girls Club will support the partnership in several ways, according to Executive Director Brian Skanes, including marketing, as well as charging vendors lower fees than they did under Community Markets' operation.

Meanwhile, to address the previous concern of visible signage, Mayor Michael Cindrich has said he supports relaxing the village's current ordinance for temporary signs, which farmers markets would be covered under.

John Boys Farm already has a following in the area. Several of the Boys & Girls Club's board members have been customers, and Crabtree's Kittle House in Chappaqua even gets food from them to serve.

The organization also has experience in running a farmers market in Pound Ridge. Ubaldo, who grew up in Pound Ridge and ran the farm in town before taking it upstate to Cambridge, NY, said the farm is also a vendor at the market in Muscoot Farm in Somers. He also still does some of his farming in Pound Ridge.

Programs that will be offered at the new farmers market will include entertainment on some weeks, food demonstrations and educational programs, according to Ubaldo. They will also do fundraisers for the club.