Ligonier Country Market appears poised to flout township rules if it opens as scheduled

If the Ligonier Country Market opens as planned May 17, it will be in violation of township regulations.

After tabling the matter for two weeks, township supervisors on Tuesday approved a special event permit for the seasonal market. But they said the market also is subject to a 2008 conditional use permit that indicates the event is not to begin its season before Memorial Day.

Member Claudine DePaul said the board of the nonprofit Country Market had no immediate comment Tuesday evening but it would be in touch with TribLive.

Township Solicitor Dan Hudock and Rick Krouse, the township’s zoning and code enforcement officer, said Krouse could issue a notice of violation if the market opens May 17.

“It would be a zoning ordinance violation,” said Krouse.

In that case, Hudock said, the market operators could be subject to a fine. The maximum amount of any potential fine wasn’t immediately available from officials.

The market’s event permit application indicated its intent to operate from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays from May 17 through Sept. 27. The planned May 17 opening date also is listed on the market’s website.

The market, which is set to begin its 50th season, is held on a section of Loyalhanna Watershed Association property along Springer Road, north of Route 30.

If the Country Market doesn’t adhere to the township-approved opening date, “We’ll have to get our ordinance guy (Krouse) out there, and we’ll have to work out legally what happens,” said Erik Ross, chairman of the supervisors. “Me, personally, the market is the market; let them do what they want to do down there.”

He suggested that the market has grown too big. In 2023, before a change in market leadership, the number of vendors had ballooned to 150, exceeding the 120 allowed by the township. The township recently worked with the market to address concerns about parking and pedestrian access.

“It was originally designed to be a community thing, and now it’s just become crazy,” Ross said. “It brings people into the township, which is great, but from the headaches involved with it, it’s not so great. It’s a double-edged sword.”

Jason Frye, head cheesemaker at Pleasant Lane Farms, addressed the supervisors Tuesday, bringing the 2008 permit provision to the attention of township officials.

Frye said the Unity dairy farm and cheesemaking operation supports having the Country Market open for the coming season, for the benefit of the market’s customers and vendors. But he continued to criticize the leadership of the market and its new vendor policy that ousted Pleasant Lane from selling its cheese at the popular venue.

The revised policy states that vendors whose products are sold at more than 60 retailers or are sold out-of-state cannot take part in the market.

“I think the idea was for the market to be for small farms and businesses that aren’t able to get their products sold nationally,” DePaul said in an earlier statement to TribLive.

Frye said in a social media post that the new vendor restrictions “penalize farms for success rather than supporting them, limiting consumer choice and pushing out vendors who have been loyal participants for years. While the board claims to prioritize small businesses, it fails to recognize that many of the affected farms still depend on farmers markets to survive — even if they have found additional retail opportunities.”

Huckle Bee Farms, which had sold honey products at the Country Market for a decade, indicated in a Facebook post that is also has been excluded from the market by the new vendor policy.

Frye said Pleasant Lane has received close to 200,000 responses since it posted to social media about losing its spot at the market. Township officials said they’ve received close to 150 messages concerning the market.

Frye additionally has called for the market board members to be selected by the event vendors or by local municipal leaders.

“We continue to struggle with the decision that the (market) board has made, especially in light of public opinion,” Frye said. “We look forward to seeing which vendors are going to be at the market. Hopefully, some change will come out of this.”

Chief Michael Matrunics said the regional Ligonier Valley Police Department has an agreement to provide services for the Country Market on its days of operation, receiving $75 per hour for each of two assigned officers. If the market is held May 17, he indicated the department will be there for the safety of the public.