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Part-time farmer Scott McPherson at his roadside produce stand in Glen.

Main Street Market owner Carla Coward will soon have a new place to showcase her family’s produce — the Baker County Farmers Market expected to open Easter weekend. The new venue, she hopes, will boost sales of seasonal staples like peas, squash, carrots and strawberries.

“Right now it’s pretty rough,” said Ms. Coward. “People are only buying one tomato or one pepper. They’re just not buying a whole lot.”

Planning for the farmers market began last summer by Helene Guest, the recently retired bank manager at Wachovia’s Macclenny branch.

The Lawtey resident assembled a group of government officials and others, like Darryl Register of the Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau, to organize the market.

However, Ms. Guest said she intends to follow up the effort with other food projects, like helping to stock food banks with fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms and community gardens.

“We’ve worked hard on it and now everything’s in place,” Ms. Guest said of the farmers market, which is planned in the S. 6th St. parking lot opposite Peebles and Crystal River Seafood. “The whole purpose of the market is to provide economic opportunity to our residents.”

One of the twin brothers convicted by juries in the night burglary of the Badcock store in Macclenny last July was sentenced on March 1 to 20 years in prison.

Based on his past felony record, Jamel Wescott, 21, of Jacksonville was adjudicated by Circuit Judge James Nilon as an habitual offender. Both he and his brother Justin had been out of prison only a month when they were arrested along with two others for the Badcock burglary.

Jamel Wescott was convicted January 14 by a six-member jury of grand theft, burglary and felony criminal mischief. Like his brother Justin, who was convicted after a second trial the previous month, Jamel Wescott represented himself during several days of testimony.

Judge Nilon ordered the 20-year sentence for one count of grand theft, and a 10-year concurrent term for the second count. The defendant will be on probation five years upon release.