Ligonier Township officials made it clear Tuesday that they want a dispute between those running the Ligonier Country Market and group that owns the land where it’s held to figure out a solution themselves.
The township supervisors held off voting on whether approve one of the event’s permits to give both sides time to figure it out.
The Ligonier Country Market, launched about 50 years ago, has been held 25 years at a 9.6-acre Loyalhanna Watershed Association property located off of Route 30 in Ligonier Township. It draws thousands of visitors from spring to fall each year.
The township supervisors issued special event permits to the market Jan. 5.
But the watershed association said it terminated the market’s lease, invalidating the permits.
Officials for the market contend the lease is still in place in the absence of a judicial determination.
Supervisors Chairperson John Beaufort, Vice Chairperson Paul Knupp and supervisors Dan Resenic and Wade Stoner voted Tuesday night to table the matter. Supervisor Stephanie Verna was absent.
Beaufort said the market and watershed association need to work out the lease disagreement on their own.
“At the time we passed the permit, it was issued and we used the best information we had at the time,” he said. “Now, what I hear is: you have two parties that disagree whether we have a lease or don’t have a lease.
“I don’t believe that the township is a court, and I don’t know that we can decide one way or the other.”
Township Solicitor Dan Hudock said the debate surrounding the lease is only part of the problem.
“Whether there’s a lease or not, if the parties don’t agree that somebody can be on the property or not, the market’s not going to happen,” he said. “The two parties have to resolve their differences.”
Mark Sorice, attorney for the market, said the market would take legal action against the township if it overturned the permits issued Jan. 5.
“If there’s a dispute between us and the watershed, let us resolve it in court,” Sorice said. “We don’t want to drag (the township) into it.”
Sorice said the relationship between the watershed association and market appears to be fractured, but that the market is open to continuing their partnership.
Del Nolfi, attorney for the watershed association, echoed the sentiment.
“The watershed has been attempting to cooperate and is still open to negotiation of lease terms favorable to both entities,” he said.
Disputes date back to 2024
More on the country market
• Ligonier Country Market facing possible move after lease terminated, director says
• Ligonier Township planning board recommends allowing mid-May opening for Country Market
• Cheesemaker claims the Ligonier Country Market is penalizing it because it’s too successful
• Ligonier Country Market appears poised to flout township rules if it opens as scheduled
• Ligonier Country Market gets township OK of permit change, set to open 50th season
• Ligonier Country Market’s appeal of opening date rule heads to planning board, supervisors
Disputes between the market’s organizers and the association have been going on for more than a year.
The market last year banned vendors whose products are sold at more than 60 retailers or sold out-of-state.
It also limited the event to 130 vendors because of parking and pedestrian access concerns. In past years, vendor counts exceeded that total, officials claimed.
The market asked last year to start its season on May 17. Its conditional use permit restricted the market from opening before Memorial Day, which was May 26 last year.
The township supervisors last year approved a modification to the market’s permit to allow it to open May 17.
Susan Huba, the watershed association’s executive director, said via email the plan was to revise the market’s lease at the end of 2025 to account for the change.
A draft of the new lease was presented to the market’s organizers on Oct. 29, Huba said, but it was never signed.
After a meeting between solicitors from both parties, the watershed association decided to terminate the market’s lease agreement, Huba said.
“We left the door open to pursue fresh discussions on future use of our property as part of our termination notice,” she said. “And if the market finds that moving to a different location will work better for them and their mission and objectives, we wish them nothing but success.”
Nolfi said market representatives were notified Jan. 23 of the lease termination.
The new lease, Huba said, accounted for the updated market dates, reduced vendor spaces to 75, removed the option for a holiday market in November, encouraged a “rain cancellation policy,” and required half of all vendors to consist of agricultural producers who make, bake or grow their own products from local farmsteads.
The Watershed Association made $4,577 in rental property income in 2024, according to its nonprofit tax filing.
Supervisor: Country Market ‘is a benefit to the community’
Market Director Kelly Svesnik said in an email to vendors that organizers began looking for a new location out of concern that the lease changes would negatively impact the event’s operation.
Svesnik’s email also said a new location for the market has been identified — including more parking and vendor space, a bandstand, a pavilion and improved traffic flow and pedestrian safety. She did not name of the location.
Resenic encouraged the market and the watershed association to come to an agreement to keep the longstanding event in the community.
“I sincerely hope that the watershed and the Country Market can resolve this,” he said. “Sure, there have been a few rough moments — the crowds and the pressure and people’s nerves get frazzled. But at the end of the day, the Country Market is a benefit to the community. We’d like to keep it.”
According to Sorice, the country market has generated more than $780,000 since 2021.
Local businesses would take a hit if the market moved outside of the community, said Ligonier Borough Mayor Tom Freeman.
“We have a ton of foot traffic (from the market),” he said. “It would be a big loss to the community in a lot of different ways.”