Social media matters travel fast, especially in small communities. Word of local happenings sometimes travels so fast that new news appears to be yesterday’s headlines before it makes its way through the grapevine.

Residents in Suffern and Sloatsburg, and beyond, often get their daily information dose via a friend’s Facebook update or from a group post. And many of those curating posts are making a difference by the news and notes passed on through personal pages and in closed group chats, from Suffern Friends and Neighbors and Sloatsburg Buy, Sell to Ramapo Mountain, Rails, Tales and Trails.

Suffern native Jonathan Turco runs a landscaping and construction business but has also put shoulder to stone to help revitalize the village.

Take lifelong Suffern resident Jonathan Turco. Turco read a complaint about falling attendance at this summer’s Suffern Farmers’ Market and with a few posts himself and shared posts from there, suddenly there was an outpouring of support for the market from local businesses to vendors — real dollars were pledged as well as services promised.

And just like that, the Turco’s reply to a Preserve Suffern post was a reply heard ’round Suffern.

It took less than an hour after Turco’s reply before some $2000 in donations to the Farmers’ Market were pledged, including all new signage by Legacy Signs, free cooking demonstrations from Marcello Russodivito of Marcello’s Ristorante, the sign up of new food vendors, not to mention the spark of community action. To date there is nearly $3000 in market support pledges. By Monday afternoon that figured hovered near the $3000 mark.

That’s not the Farmers’ Market I remember, said one to another

The story was first reported on Suffern Friends and Neighbors, a blog run by Debbi Tapp, which itself is an offshoot of Tapp’s bustling Facebook group page, Suffern Friends and Neighbors, where Turco’s effort pinged and drew more attention. Tapp, who contributed to this article, is also known locally for her business, Debbie’s Taxi Service.

A graduate of Suffern High School, Turco operates Turco Landscaping and Construction and tuned in this past year to Village of Suffern happenings when online community chatter was all about the budget and cash-strapped village. Turco pitched in, offering free landscaping services to Suffern’s Point Park at the corner of Washington and Orange Avenues. Then he started two Facebook groups to participate in the active community conversation — Donate Suffern, People Helping People and Suffern Voice, Your Business Voice (which promotes local business through a sort of free advertising of goods and services).

Turco was a featured speaker at the recent Suffern Chamber Mixer, where he delivered a passionate speech about living and working in Suffern and why he started his Donate Suffern effort — to create a better community. The Suffern Farmers’ Market fit nicely with his efforts to help create a friendly, positive village experience — the kind of experience Turco said he remembers while growing up in Suffern not very long ago.

The Saturday market has been a topic of discussion among market members and the Suffern Chamber of Commerce. Alex Evans works with both the Suffern Chamber and Suffern Farmers’ Market, and has attempted to create a vibrant market experience during this summer’s market season, complete with social media and local promotions.

But still market attendance has flagged, which, in turn, has caused market vendors to lose interest.

Turco’s timing was just right to help light up the Suffern switchboard and draw attention to the Suffern Farmers’ Market issue, which is unique to Suffern itself. With a busy food shopping center down the road, residents don’t rely on weekend produce and other goods so the market needs something more, something unique to Suffern to draw residents out to the downtown village on Saturdays. And some will even venture south to Ramsey for groceries before even thinking of visiting a Saturday Suffern Farmers’ Market.

“Family friendly activities are important,” said Turco about creating an atmosphere at the Suffern Market that brings people out and leaves kids excited to visit. Evans, who recently joined the market board, echoed a similar sentiment, saying that holding family-friendly events at the market is an important ingredient to draw people to the village center on Saturday mornings.

But patrons buying market goods is the most important thing, Evans said. Residents must decide that the Suffern Market is worth that Saturday morning trip. “The ongoing support of donations is wonderful,” said Evans, “But it’s the actual shopping that will make the Suffern Famers’ Market thrive.”

It takes a lot of helping hands (and pocketbooks) to make a Village go 

The sudden eruption of the Suffern Farmers’ Market summer wilt into the community conversation is part of the on-going Suffern self-analysis, where residents are reviewing ideas and institutions about what makes a good village — vital services and diverse business are two things. According to Turco’s perspective, local residents must rekindle and re-invest in Suffern, from organizations and institutions to individual effort to help re-envision and revitalize the Village. The community conversation about the Suffern Market is also a conversation about Suffern itself — and involves improving the local experience, from restaurants and municipal infrastructure to participation in organizations by ready volunteers. Many good things are in place to spur Suffern business activity and spark community vitality.

Participation by residents is key to most anything that ails the village.

More patrons at the Saturday Suffern Farmers’ Market means more vendors and a better experience. Local purchases are the life blood of the village and work in tandem with municipal services to improve quality of life. Skip a trip to a big box store and shop at Handy Hardware or Rainbow Hardware, or maybe catch lunch at Mia’s Kitchen, sign up for a weekly Zumba class at Rockland Dance and Fitness, or catch a Friday night movie at the Lafayette Theater — any and all of these help improve Suffern.

The Suffern Farmers’ Market will schedule a meeting to discuss what to do with the contributions and community good will. For Jonathan Turco, it’s about impressions and making memories for others similar to those he had growing up in Suffern.

He wants other kids to look back on their own fond memories of growing up in Suffern.

“We need to unify and work to make the village a positive place for everyone,” Turco said, determined to make Suffern the kind of village he envisions, where people are working to help people.

Following is a brief list of support pledged to helping the Suffern Farmers’ Market:
Turco Landscaping $400
Heather Bowie ( Allstate) $400
Anonymous $400
Weber family $50
Stephan Monahan $50
DST Construction $200
B Balls Meat Balls $200
Michael Malandra $200
Andrea Deluca $100
Marcello Russodivito of Marcello’s Restaurant – free cooking class for two and a free dinner for two
Legacy Signs ( Johnathan DeGraw ) brand new signage and advertising
Tracy Benovitz  – free hot dog stand