Columbia Parks and Recreation says more than 800 donors have contributed to MU Health Care’s pavilion expansion

Hundreds of people are expected to pack the Columbia Farmers Market for Saturday morning’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the expansion of the MU Health Care pavilion.

Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood and other officials will speak at tomorrow morning’s 10 o’clock ceremony, which is open to the public. Columbia Parks and Recreation describes the ribbon-cutting as a major milestone of decades of visioning, planning and effort.

They say the dream of having all of the vendors and customers of the Columbia Farmers Market under one roof dates to the market’s 1980 opening. The city says more than 800 private donors have contributed to this project.

The pavilion is home to the Columbia Farmers Market at Clary-Shy community park. Columbia Parks and Recreation says the pavilion’s expansion began earlier this year and has been completed by Columbia-based Reinhardt Construction Company. The roof’s final size is now about 550 feet long and 60 feet wide. Parks and Recreation says the expanded size has led to a further boost in attendance and has reduced risk placed on farmers because of heat or rain.

The project received a $1.3 million federal grant last year to support the Pavilion’s expansion.