McCafferty plans monthly markets at community club

Jennifer McCafferty moves through the Howard Community Club with great joy these days. 

It feels a lot like home… because it is. 

She cannot climb the six brick steps and sweep her feet across the hardwood floors without stirring the memories.

Her father, Bill Taylor, attended grammar school at Howard and called square dancing in the auditorium after it became a community club. Her mother, Gloria, was a member of the garden club and grew roses on the Howard property on the hill above iconic Highway 41.

As a child, McCafferty would “romp around’’ the grounds, playing on the swings and picking blackberries. When she got older, she attended church dinners and dances. She took junior cotillion classes at Howard from the legendary Henry Muecke, a rite of passage for many local middle-schoolers.

On the mural in the front hallway are paintings of her family’s church and her great-grandfather’s house. 

“Half of my family is on that wall out there,’’ she said, laughing.

Oh, if those walls could talk.

She has been away for four decades. After she was “grandfathered” in as a member of the Howard Community Club in October, she looked around the room and counted her seven cousins.

She immediately recognized the storied building as the perfect venue for a community event. 

McCafferty held market/craft fairs in June and November last year with more than 40 vendors, food trucks and live music. The enthusiastic response from patrons was encouraging, and she now plans to continue the markets monthly with themed events.

The first monthly Jen’s Market will be held Saturday, Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the community club on 5645 Forsyth Road (behind Martha Bowman Methodist Church.).  

Local artisans and crafters will be featured, along with an array of fresh produce, meats and baked goods.

McCafferty started her outdoor market and event business when she was living in Tampa 15 years ago. She grew the business to the point that when she and her husband retired to Lake Oconee three years ago, she continued to organize events.

“I came up here, and I just couldn’t get it out of my system,’’ she said.

She said shoppers not only want to support the local economy but to purchase fresh food and handcrafted products.

“People like to get out and walk around,’’ she said. “In the last five years, there has been a lot more emphasis on shopping local. I’ve always looked at my business as more of an incubator. In Florida, I had four small vendors that just came and set up little tents. Within two years, they opened storefronts because they did so well. One of them went on to become a national distributor of beef jerky.’’

 A marketplace? Why not? Over the years, Howard has hosted everything from reunions to birthday parties, garden clubs, scout meetings, consignment sales, Thespian meetings, fish fries, flower shows, talent shows, quilting clubs, spaghetti suppers, Zumba classes and other events. 

At one time, there was a county fair on the grounds and a canning operation. It also was the first school in the county to serve hot lunches.  

  It has aged gracefully for a building that opened its doors the same year (1916) Albert Einstein published his theory of relativity, which involves the laws of gravity.

Gravity certainly has done its job helping Howard stand its ground through the wear and tear of the world.  Some still refer to it as the old school, even though only the oldest of the old-timers can remember when the bells rang every morning and afternoon.

There were just five graduating classes at Howard, from 1920-24. The high school students were then transferred to Lanier High for Boys and Miller High for Girls, and the grammar school students were later sent to Alexander IV Elementary when Howard closed in 1938.

But for only having been a school for 22 years, Howard has had a full script in the afterlife. Perhaps no other building in Macon has been so versatile for so long.

McCafferty has noticed smiles much like her own at the market events in June and November. She plans to keep it sustainable.

“People come in, laughing and saying it was fun,’’ she said. “That’s what I’m trying to do – bring it back to the community like it was in my days as a child when you would walk in and you knew you were going to have a great time.’’

There are so many happy memories there. And she expects she is not finished making them.

 Jen’s Market at Howard Community Club

Saturday, February 8  – “Pal” Entine’s Market to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Live Music is by Roland E Fall, a popular local musician with the Music Side of Town Blues Band.

Saturday, March 15 –  Let’s Get Pink! Find pink porch decor, wreaths, tees, pink dog clothes and people bows, and even pink foods.

Saturday, May 10 – Mother’s Day Market. Great giveaways hourly for pampering mom.

Saturday, July 19  – Salsa Recipe Showdown. Contestants compete for prizes in 3 categories (no commercial kitchens).*Details on the dates, events, vendor and sponsor information can be found at www.jens-market.com Phone: 813-846-1316 Facebook.com/JensMarket