In one week, downtown Asbury Park will have a new attraction whose aim is to draw people who appreciate locally-grown produce and homemade products.

A farmer’s market called “Asbury Fresh Saturday Market” will debut on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kennedy Park on Cookman Avenue.

The market will be open every Saturday morning until the third week in November, according to organizers Lauren Philpot and Bret Morgan [above in Kennedy Park].

According to a prepared statement, Morgan got the idea while visiting a small town market in England, when he says he was “overwhelmed by the scent of fresh-baked artisan breads, the chatter of inspired local vendors and individuals alike.”  He contact Philpot, and the two agreed to organize the market with a mission “to bring fresh, local goods to the streets of Asbury Park,” Morgan said.

“Asbury Fresh aims to be a place where farmers, artists, musicians, and like-minded people of the shore come together to sell fresh fruits and vegetables, exchange ideas, and heighten the awareness of how much is actually within walking distance of our own front door,” Philpot said in the statement.

“Local food means healthier food, local effort means sustainability, and local pride is in our blood,” she commented in the statement. “Come out to Kennedy Park on Cookman Avenue this summer and fall, and enjoy the colorful, friendly atmosphere that is ‘Asbury Fresh Saturday Market’.”

Saturday’s first event will start with just under a dozen vendors, the organizers said.

“Once somebody sees it and it gets a little nicer out, people will jump on and it will gain traction,” said Morgan, who added that the goal is to attract twenty to thirty vendors. “That would be amazing,” he said.

“If the community comes out and puts something into it as well, we can have something very special. It will be community-driven,” Philpot added.

Philpot said vendors will sell fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, soaps, candles, juices and other items. The link between all the goods sold are that they are either grown or homemade, she said.

Chamber of Commerce executive director Jackie Pappas helped guide the organizers with the permits required, Morgan said.

Morgan and Philpot both work in downtown Asbury Park. Philpot also lives in the business district, while Morgan is a resident of Neptune.

For more information contact Lauren Philpot or Bret Morgan at team@asburyfresh.com or visit the website at asburyfresh.com by clicking here.

Kennedy Park is located near the intersection of Cookman and Grand Avenues, next to Ivan and Andy’s steakhouse and across from the Robert Legere Design Center.