Chamber of Commerce to run Jaffrey farmers market and summer concerts in seven-month trial, minutes say

The Jaffrey Economic Development Council’s draft minutes report that the Chamber of Commerce agreed to take responsibility for the town’s Farmer’s Market and Concerts on the Common for a seven-month trial running through Sept. 30.

The minutes say the arrangement uses funding from the Main Street line item of the DT TIFD and will be reviewed at the end of the trial to determine whether to continue or modify the approach. According to the minutes, Riverfest will take a break for 2026 because of expected Main Street road construction that could interrupt activities.

Why it matters: shifting event management to the Chamber aims to maintain downtown programming during a year of construction and test whether a private-sector partner can bring renewed energy and capacity. The minutes note that both “Tom and Andy” attended Chamber meetings as the plan was developed and that the Chamber is expected to provide new energy to the programs.

Details from the minutes: Cooperative Extension reached out to the coordinator about continuing SNAP and veterans-benefits outreach at events, and the minutes indicate those programs will continue. The document also records that Tom Ahlborn-Hsu has lined up bands for the concerts and that the town’s Recreation Department will manage the Scarecrows event, though it may be smaller depending on departmental capacity.

What’s next: the EDC will review the Chamber’s performance at the end of the seven-month period. The draft minutes do not record a formal vote; they state the arrangement and the planned review. The coordinator was recorded as responsible for posting event updates to the town’s communication channels.