JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

The Blacksburg Farmers Market project is "virtually complete. We're doing the final details," says Elisabeth Vogel, the town's housing and community development project manager and project manager for the market expansion.

The project added covered stalls for vendors and a new pocket park, which will be the site of some activities in the Winter Lights Festival.

The project is "virtually complete. We're doing the final details," said Elisabeth Vogel, the town's housing and community development project manager and project manager for the market expansion.

Vogel said some minor work remains to be done next week, such as putting up roof trim.

The new park will be the site for a holiday farmers market from 4 to 7 p.m. today that will feature crafts, free hot chocolate and hot cider, and a bake sale.

The expanded portion of the market is on a reconfigured parking lot on town-owned property at Roanoke Street and Draper Road. Town and market officials have said that the expansion creates more room for vendors and provides a safer setup for shoppers.

Starting Saturday, the farmers market will begin operating in the new stalls, Vogel said.

During construction, the market had been moved a block down Roanoke Street, between Draper Road and Otey Street.

The market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays until the end of the year.

A formal grand opening for the stalls and park is planned for April.

Vogel said the expansion project is ahead of schedule with the contract deadline Dec. 17.

Work started on the project, which costs $782,000, in July. The money includes federal Community Development Block Grant funding, money from the town's general fund and money now being raised by Friends of the Farmers Market, officials have said.

The parking lot that was redeveloped contained 39 spaces, 19 of which were lost to the project, Vogel has said. That loss of parking did prompt concerns from some nearby merchants who said in October that the construction was costing them customers because they couldn't find parking close to the businesses.

The market project grew out of ideas and designs presented by representatives from Friends of the Farmers Market, a nonprofit organization that manages the market. Kathryn Clarke Albright, founder of the Friends of the Farmers Market, said it's gratifying to see the work that has been done.

"I think that it came out really elegant and I've had a lot of compliments from across the community about it. The people seem very pleased and kind of in awe," Albright said.

Nancyne Willoughby, who owns the retail store Fringe Benefit at 117 N. Main St., said she loves the expanded market and has heard positive comments about the project from shoppers.

"It looks great and it's going to be a versatile space," Willoughby said.

Town and market officials have said the expansion project offers a venue for music, picnics, festivals and the market throughout the year.

Officials also have said the project will provide a safer setup for shoppers. One of the concerns previously was patrons going into the street, creating safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists. The expanded market is set off from the street and the park has benches where people can gather.

The crews involved in the project have been Blue Ridge Timberwrights, a Christiansburg company that constructed the timber-frame structure; DCI Shires, a Bluefield, W.Va., company that has handled the site construction including parking, cobblestonelike pavers, seating areas and landscaping; and Anderson & Associates of Blacksburg, which has served as the civil engineer for the project.