PUBLISHED SEPT. 22, 2016
Jen’s Market begins 5th season
with 2 South Shore markets
By LOIS KINDLE
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Farm-fresh produce will be a big draw at the Sun City Center Sunday Market and Jen’s Market at the Y in Gibsonton, which will open Oct. 5 and 9, respectively.
There’s nothing like an outdoor market to bring out our inner shopper — fresh air, fresh food and lots of specialty products all featured at one community location.
Jennifer McCafferty, of Jen’s Market Inc., is bringing back the Sun City Center Outdoor Market Oct. 5 to kick off her fifth season in South Shore.
“It’s in a new location with higher visibility and golf cart access,” she said of the parking lot of Sun City Center Funeral Home, 1851 Rickenbacker Dr. “The test markets we ran there last spring made me realize that Sun City Center was ready to support bimonthly markets. They will be held the first and third Wednesday of the month through May from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
In the market for fresh herbs? Vendors like Matt Mocha, of Florida Fresh Live Herbs, sell all kinds at Jennifer McCafferty’s outdoor markets.
The kickoff in Sun City Center will feature a special event called the Pie in the Face Race, a fun-filled fundraiser for the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce’s banquet room renovation project. For $1 per vote, visitors can choose which chamber staff or board member they’d like to see hit in the face with a pie. These include chamber CEO Dana Dittmar; Dexter Charles, its operations manager; and Cedrick Wilson, its board chairman. Also putting their faces up as targets are board members Kevin Kerbow, McCafferty, Bryce Bowden, Marcile Buzbee, Hal Jeffrey and Chuck Bingham; Connie Huber, vice chairwoman; and Courtney Brown, honorary mayor. Photos of each person, and that of Miss Brady, the chamber cat, will be displayed at every market through Nov. 16, when the “winner” will be announced, and then “pied.”
Handmade shoulder bags are among numerous imported products found at the Sun City Center Sunday Market and Jen’s Market at the Y in Gibsonton.
That person can buy themselves out of the slam by matching the dollar amount of all the votes they received, and if so, the pie in the face gets passed to the next highest person and so on.
“The idea is to raise as much money as possible for the renovation project,” McCafferty said. “And if we reach $5,000, I’ll take yet another pie in the face.”
If Miss Brady wins, she’ll get a bowl of fresh milk and McCafferty will stand in and take her hit.
Those who can’t make one of the markets can cast their votes at the chamber office, 1651 Sun City Center Plaza, any weekday when the chamber is open.
The Nov. 16 event additionally will feature the Show Us How You Roll pie contest. The entry fee is $10, and participants must furnish two homemade pies, one for judging at 11 a.m. and one to raffle off. The top pie baker will be determined by Fran Fabbro, Lynn Kessel and Kevin Kerbow.
Pie raffle tickets are $1 each or $5 for 10. For complete rules and entry forms, visit jens-market.com.
A second, new location
Food items like Stanford’s Jerky will be sold twice a month at the Sun City Center Sunday Market and the fourth Sunday of the month at Jen’s Market at the Y in Gibsonton.
McCafferty is opening a second, new location — Jen’s Market at the Y Oct. 9 to give South Shore residents yet another convenient place to experience the communal fun of shopping outdoors. Located at the Family Y at Big Bend Road, 9650 Old Big Bend Road in Gibsonton, it’s taking the place of the former Apollo Beach Market, which McCafferty closed last spring. It will take place every second and fourth Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. October through May.
“It has a larger area that enables us to bring in more vendors, food trucks and a children’s market we’re calling the KidZone,” McCafferty said. “I really like the location because it’s so convenient to I-75 and we’ll be able to serve a much broader area of southern Hillsborough County. We plan to be the largest outdoor market in South Shore and perhaps one day of eastern Hillsborough County, as well.”
The opening day market at the Family Y at Big Bend Road will also include radio-controlled, model airplanes, helicopter and drones brought in and flown by members of the Triple Creek RC Club.
The KidZone offers children ages 7 to 17 with the opportunity to market products, use their creative talents and learn to manage money, said McCafferty. She plans to host a free class for the kids from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at each Gibsonton market to teach them planning, booth design, marketing and sales. “Booth space is free,” she said.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
Woodworking pieces like these created by Sun City Center scroll saw artist John Collier make distinctive gifts. They will be available at both markets, starting in early October.
The free class is also available to any school, daycare or church group at their sites.
Jen’s Market at the Y and the Sun City Center Sunday Market will feature farm-fresh produce and citrus, locally harvested honey and fresh take-home foods; handcrafted soaps, home décor and casual furniture; essential oils, arts and crafts, jewelry, Florida-style apparel and more. Each market will start out with at least 40 vendors and both are pet friendly.
Every market will have special programs like the pie extravaganza, a pumpkin sale for the Animal Luvr’s Dream Rescue and live entertainers throughout the season “to entertain shoppers, fundraise for local nonprofit groups and promote having a safe and fun community gathering place,” McCafferty said.
Details on the markets, their schedules, free classes and vendor or sponsorship information are available at jens-market.com or by calling 813-846-1316.
