A new location for the Evans Market and other events is opening soon.
Located next to the Performing Arts Center, The Market is a new facility that has been planned for a while and was part of the 2017 general obligation bond. The facility is 16,000 square foot total and includes a 9,300 square foot under cover section and 6,000 square foot patio, said Steven Prather, director of facilities, design and construction for Columbia County.
“The main purpose is obviously one of our rental venues,” Prather said. “This will be managed as a venue similar to other venues in the county. It will be used for the farmers market.”
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Prather added that the farmers market, which is usually held in front of the Performing Arts Center, has seen a lot of growth over the years. Because of this, the county needed a facility to accommodate the changes.
“We knew that we needed a facility to have that on rainy days or on really hot days, as well as giving them some space for, a lot of the business vendors have equipment money to plug in,” Prather said. “This venue offers a lot of power and gives them the requirement to maintain their machines or cookers or whatever they’re going to bring.”
Besides the farmers market, Prather said other events, such as wedding receptions, retirement parties and more could be held in the space.
“It’s really just a mixed-use, open-air facility,” Prather said.
He said the goal is to have a ribbon cutting for the facility at the end of March. According to a post on the Columbia County Parks, Recreation and Events Facebook page, the Evans Market is set to open on April 20 at this new location.
Stephanie Hill is the managing editor and covers Columbia County government for The Augusta Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.com.
