The dispute between the Ligonier Country Market’s organizers and the owners of the property where the popular farmers market has been held for decades resulted from a failure to communicate and differing views on how the market should be operated.
That’s how watershed officials and Ligonier residents described the breakup Thursday, which has led the County Market to plan to move the event to a fire department field north of Ligonier
At a public meeting Thursday on watershed association property overlooking the former home of the Ligonier Country Market, Susan Huba, watershed association executive director, said the communication breakdown started around March 2025.
The Country Market leadership wanted to keep the number of vendors around 130 this year and have vendors within a 150-mile radius of Ligonier to be permitted to sell their wares, Huba said. The market leaders also wanted to keep a November market for holiday sales.
The watershed association, however, wanted to limit the number of vendors to around 90, Huba said. The association wanted the market to have at least 50% of the vendors be agricultural producers and processors within a 150-mile radius of the Laurel Highlands. The intent was to give local farmers an opportunity sell their products, Huba said.
It also wanted to institute a rain operation policy to avoid excessive erosion. Huba said concerns about the market’s impact on the property had started about seven years ago.
Kelly Svesnik, director of the Ligonier Country Market, could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
The association notified Country Market officials in January that it was terminating the lease that was supposed to run until the end of 2027.
Huba said the watershed association did not get rich from renting the land. The Country Market was charged $1,277 for using the land, which she said was equal to the amount of real estate taxes on the property.
The watershed association board is not looking to replace the Ligonier Country Market with another farmers market that would compete with the Country Market, Huba said.
The dispute, which became public earlier this year, devolved into a social media mess in which the watershed association was the victim of online attacks, Huba said.
“The vitriol has to end. It’s really become ugly,” said Mark Sorice, an attorney representing the Country Market and a watershed association member.
The dispute between the watershed association and the Country Market grew to the point where, Sorice said, “it’s hard to see the other’s perspective. It always leads to a breakdown in communications.” He called for both sides to be respectful of each other.
Just how important are the thousands of people drawn to the Ligonier Country Market, just across the Mill Creek Bridge from Ligonier, is apparent to some Ligonier business owners who lamented the pending loss of those potential customers on the 20 Saturdays when the market was operating.
“It will be hard to replace,” said Brenda Shaffer, owner of My Honey Bee.
Stephanie Hernandez, owner of El Baquero, a Mexican restaurant in Ligonier, said businesses will be hurting without the Country Market crowds.
“The market is great for us,” Hernandez said. “Saturdays are our biggest moneymakers. We need it.”
To compensate for the anticipated loss of people coming to Ligonier on Saturdays, Amy Beitel, executive director of the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the organization is working on plans for a number of Saturday events.
Country Market leadership said it wants to move the farmers market to a 26-acre field next to the Waterford Fire Department, which is about 4 miles north of Ligonier.
That move to the Waterford Fire Department field, however, is pending the Ligonier Township supervisors’ approval of the fire department’s request to rezone the land, from an agricultural designation that prohibits retail sales to a commercial one that allows for a farmers market.
Although the Country Market website says it will be relocating to the Waterford Fire Department property and opening May 16, Robert Derk, president of the Waterford Fire Department, said last week the fire department had not signed an agreement.
Even if the township supervisors approve the rezoning request, the Country Market still must obtain special event permits.
The township supervisors have scheduled a public hearing on the rezoning request for 6:30 p.m. April 14 at the Ligonier Township Municipal Building, 1 Municipal Drive.
John Beaufort, chairman of the Ligonier Township supervisors, said after Thursday’s meeting the board could approve, reject or hold off a decision on the rezoning request until May.
Beaufort said there have been attempts by public officials to get the watershed association and the Country Market representatives to resolve their dispute, but no solution was reached.
Huba was asked if the door is firmly shut to having the Country Market return to the watershed association property.
“The ball is in their court,” Huba said after the meeting.