BERLIN — Berlin is getting in on Alabama’s statewide agricultural celebration this weekend, staging free green thumb projects for kids and highlighting local growers as part of this year’s Sweet Grown Alabama Day.

Set for Saturday, July 23, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., the Berlin iteration of the event will feature a hands-on sunflower potting project for children, as well as free farm tattoos, plus an increased ceiling of $5 (up from the typical $3) on the Power of Produce (POP) vouchers available to spend at the market for kids ages 12 and younger.

This year marks the first for Berlin’s Farmers Market to participate in the Sweet Grown Alabama program, which sets aside a Saturday each summer at farmers markets statewide, bringing communities closer with the farmers who produce their locally-sourced food. In addition to all the extra activity, local growers will be on hand as always to fill the market’s eight vendor bays with home-grown produce and cottage-made goods.

At its regular meeting Monday, the Berlin Town Council discussed ways the town may seek to utilize available municipal property adjacent to the market as it crafts a budget for the upcoming 2023 fiscal year. Town leaders have previously discussed installing a park featuring a kids’ playground and, potentially, a walking trail near the market site, a topic that’s likely to factor into the upcoming town budget as the council prepares to approve its spending priorities ahead of the budget’s Oct. 1 deadline.

In other business at its regular meeting, the council:

• Agreed to apply for membership for town employees in programs offered by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, including access to both Tier 1 and Tier 2 benefit levels. The cost for the town’s application startup will total $1,250.
• Agreed to take up a request from the North Alabama Agriplex seeking an annual contribution from the town at a future meeting, as a potential budgeted item for the coming fiscal year.
• Agreed to solicit bids for available top soil lying unused on municipal property.
• Approved

mayor Patrick Bates to negotiate with the Berlin Community Center Board for an easement access near the community center driveway along U.S. Highway 278, which would provide a second point of access to the farmers market for guests. The council authorized Bates to seek an agreement after first retiring into executive session to discuss the matter.

• Approved the minutes of the council’s June 20 regular meeting.