The Pendleton Farmers Market has returned again to Falls Park, and it looks to be bigger and better than ever.
I think I heard the vendor count was to be about 75 openings, giving customers a wide variety of homemade or home- grown products from which to choose. The third Saturday of the month is open for Junior vendors to display their products.
Last year, Susie and I went for a morning walk on Saturdays in the park. We purchased many items and made some new friends. After several weeks, Karyn Ledbetter who runs the market asked us if I had anything suitable to sell. We knew Karyn because she went to school in Pendleton with our daughter.
She told us they had a couple part-time openings for vendors, so I signed up to fill in when a regular vendor had to miss a day for whatever reason. We set up a booth with my wooden pens, and sold several whenever we were there. Karyn came to us several weeks later and told us one of the full-time vendors had to quit and asked if I wanted that spot for the rest of the season. Since I am getting older and we don’t travel as much as we used to, I said yes.
We talked to dozens of people every Saturday, sometimes about my pen-making and how I did that, and other times about our metal detecting hobby. Occasionally, I would have someone stop at our booth and tell me they saw one of my columns in The Times-Post and we would talk about some of my writing. It was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours on the weekend.
A few months ago, we were asked if we wanted a full-time spot in the Market again this year.
After talking it over for a few seconds, I said OK.
The Market runs every Saturday from the first week of May to the last week of October. It opens at 8 a.m. and closes at noon.
Susie sets up our booth starting around 7, while I take a five-minute walk to talk to the other vendors.
This five minutes usually stretches to about 25, and the other vendors start telling me my time is up and I need to get back to my spot. Most of them know I’m only supposed to be gone for five minutes.
During my walk, I stop and look at all the baked good in various locations.
Everything looks so good, but since I am a diabetic, I’m not supposed to buy any of it. I got caught one time. I bought a great-looking cinnamon roll with maple icing and nuts on top. I even took it back to our booth and gave Susie half of it and still got in trouble for eating it.
Next time, I will have to hide behind a tree or something to eat it so I don’t get caught.
Instead of sleeping late, take a stroll through the park on a Saturday morning and check out all of the vendors. Besides the baked goods, there are folks selling all kinds of crafts, sewing items, jewelry, candles, spices, wooden bowls, and farm produce when in season.
Bring your dog with you for a leisurely walk; we have dog biscuits on our table to offer to our four-legged visitors.
If you have a product you think might sell at the market, contact me and I can get you the information about joining the dozens of other vendors who have fun and make a little money.
You can sign up for every weekend, or every other week, or maybe you can just fill in occasionally when another vendor is sick or on vacation.
Rich Creason is an award-winning outdoors and travel writer whose work has appeared in local, regional, national and international publications for 40 years. Born in Anderson, he is a graduate of Markleville High School. He lives in South Madison County with his wife, Susie. He may be contacted at [email protected].