FOLEY – There’s a new sight to see at the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market (CAFFM) in Foley. Out front, an anchor is now on display, which was donated to the City of Foley by Jeff and Tammy McKenzie and restored by the Foley High School’s Agriculture Department.

On Thursday, May 10, the Foley High Agriculture Department was brought to the Farmers and Fishermen’s Market, and Foley Mayor John Koniar presented the department with a check on behalf of CAFFM.

“I’d like to thank Jeff and Tammy McKenzie for the donation of the anchor,” said Koniar. “I’d also like to thank the Agriculture Department, they did a great job on the restoration. It’s a good-looking asset to the Farmer and Fishermen’s Market, it fits in really well. CAFFM would like to donate to the Ag Department with a $300 thank you for a job well done, we appreciate your work.”

The anchor itself has been with the McKenzie family since 1983, when they accidently caught it in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We kept it at my wife’s dad’s property for years,” said Jeff McKenzie. “Then we moved it to our house when it was built, and we stored it there. We kept mowing around it, and finally we got tired of mowing around it. We knew we needed to do something with it, and then thought that we should let everybody else enjoy it. We weren’t making use of it, so we wanted to let the public have it.”

The anchor dates back to the late 1700s and appears to come from a four or five mast sailing ship. After the donation was made to the city, councilman Charlie Ebert spearheaded the project. The anchor was moved from the McKenzie’s property with the help of Junior Morris of Little Bitty’s Towing, and once it made it back from the High School’s Ag Department, the City of Foley Street Department helped to position it out front of CAFFM, and now that it’s at its home, Frans on 59 is planning on adding a water feature next to the anchor.

“At CAFFM, we have been very fortunate to have so many vendors that are so passionate about what they do,” said Market Operations Manager Alescia Forland. “We have local farmers, fishermen, beekeepers, bakers, and varied artisans that are all very different, but they have one thing in common: they’re very passionate about bringing the best that they have to the Farmer’s Market to share with our community.”

The Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market is open year-round, Saturdays 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Tuesdays 2 - 6 p.m. They have also recently started Art at the Market, which takes place the second Thursday of every month and features local artists and performances from local musicians.

For more info on the CAFFM, you can find their website at CoastalAlabamaMarket.com/home.