Operation Smile Booth at the Worthington Farmer's Market
Basic details
Background
Four people stand at an Operation Smile International booth at the Worthington Farmer's Market in this color photograph taken by Kay Gaskill, circa 1988-1993. The person at the far left is market master Julian Larson. The booth is set up in front of 666 High Street, with a corner of the building at 688 High Street visible at left in the photo.
The Worthington Farmer's Market began in 1988, and was one of the first farmer's markets in central Ohio. Worthington resident Julian Larson was the first market master, and was also responsible for founding the Westerville Farmer's Market.
An article by Susan Porter in the June 15, 1988 "Worthington News" describes the upcoming premier of the market, which took place that Saturday the 18th: "This Saturday marks another first in downtown Worthington. The first in a series of 12 special events--in this case an open air farmer's market--will be held on the Village Green between 10 am and 3 pm in an effort to make more residents of Central Ohio aware of our central business district. There will be plants and herbs, baked goods and jellies and even some nature crafts."
A June 22, 1988 front-page article reflects on the event: "All types of growing and home-grown products were on Worthington's Village Green Saturday for the first ever Farmer's Market held in downtown Worthington...The event was sponsored by the Worthington Downtown Merchants Association, in order to bring more traffic to downtown Worthington."
In a June 10, 1992 "Worthington News" article, Candace Brooks interviews Julian Larson about the products for sale in that week's market. Larson promised strawberries from Crum Strawberry Farms, shortcakes from the Worthington Bakery, bratwurst, greens and other produce from The Ohio State University farms, as well as fresh and dried flowers, bread and hydroponic tomatoes.
Since its early years, the market has grown to the largest farmer's market in central Ohio, and in 2024 was named the best farmer’s market in the United States by "USA Today."
Subjects
Record details
Copyright
Operation Smile Booth at the Worthington Farmer's Market from the collections of the Worthington Historical Society (WHS) may be used for educational purposes as long as it is not altered in any way and proper credit is given: "Courtesy of the Worthington Historical Society, Worthington, OH." Prior written permission of the WHS is required for any other use of Operation Smile Booth at the Worthington Farmer's Market. Contact WHS at info@worthingtonhistory.org to request permission.
