The Campus Farmers Market is preparing for the new semester with the addition of two new market managers. 

Ariel Fugate, a senior in interdisciplinary studies and the market’s current manager, said it was time to start the process of handing over the market to future leaders. The market will make its 2011 debut on Feb. 9.

“I’ve been the market manager since fall 2009, when it started. This semester I wanted to start the transition process before I graduate,” Fugate said. “I wanted to make sure the two new managers had me around to advise them in certain situations. I thought this was the perfect time. These are two awesome ladies.”

The new managers are Pressly Blackley,  a junior in mechanical engineering;  and Brenna Hannapel, a sophomore in general engineering.

According to Fugate, the pair were hired in a slightly unusual way.

“Candidates needed to show they were active, be someone that went to the meetings and is involved with the market,” Fugate said. “It wasn’t a normal process because it wasn’t as formal, and the advisor was heavily involved in my decision.”

The main duties of the pair will include (BULLET LIST THESE ITEMS)organizing and contacting the vendors, acting as the main contacts for the market, updating the website, overseeing all the educational functions associated with the market, advertising the market and gathering money from appropriate branches of Student Government.

According to Blackley, the pair have not yet separated the duties, but she was in charge of contacting the managers for the semester and believed she would be managing the website.

Neither Blackley or Hannapel come from agriculture or large-farm backgrounds, but Blackley had a large garden at her home in Charlotte and Hannapel volunteered with a farmers market during high school.

“In high school I went to the Durham Farmers Market, and I fell in love with working with the farmers and people coming by for food that was locally and organically grown,” Hannapel said.

Because the market is still in its infancy, the pair are already looking for ways to improve it. Both agreed that expansion was the best way forward.

“We’ll improve it by adding more vendors for next fall. That won’t be possible until the Brickyard Bubble is gone, but we will work to make sure new ones will be there once there is room for them,” Blackley said.

They are also looking to attract more customers. By clearing up misconceptions about the market, the new managers hope new students will utilize their on-campus market.

“Using the market helps the local economy and local agriculture. Buying locally helps our home-town economy, which is important,” Hannapel said. “It will also help combat obesity and economic problems, it is important that students have access to food that is healthy and good.”

The market accepts credit cards, though it is up to the vendor to determine its payment preference

There will be a variety of goods available, from soaps to salsa and produce, Fugate said.

“We have cookies, soaps and lotions, meat and poultry, jewelry, flour, eggs and jelly – to name just a few,” Fugate said. “Depending on the weather some vendors can’t make it, but on an average day a customer should be able to find a wide variety of products.”

The market is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Brickyard from Feb. 9 through April 13.