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This week marks the spring opening for Franklin’s Market on Main, which is expanding in its impact under the direction of Manager Robert Campbell to now include a partnership with Franklin City Public Schools.

Starting this week and running until right before Thanksgiving, the farmer’s market will be open Wednesday evenings from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m.-noon.

The market will also be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. during the city’s upcoming Spring Fest on April 22, and it will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 7 during the Lumberjack Festival. 

Campbell noted that he has landed a deal with FCPS to coordinate a full educational program. He has developed a curriculum to teach a healthy living class, highlighting nutrition.

“We’re going to be working over at the elementary school to help the kids plant a garden and then give them a table down at the market to sell their stuff,” he said. “We’re going to do the same thing at the high school. We’re going to take over the greenhouse and help them learn to grow stuff and give them a table down at the market.

“We’re going to create intern mentorships for high school kids to learn agribusiness, developing a small business, culinary arts and so forth, and we’re working real closely with Mr. (Kyle) Cousins, who runs the culinary arts program up at the high school,” he added. “So, those are definite things coming up in the fall.”

Campbell said he developed the curriculum initially for third grade, “but we can move it up and down depending on what the city wants. This is going to be like a pilot project, so we’re going to see how it goes and then hopefully expand it…”