After last week's Saturday deluge, the sun returned to warm our faces and bring out our valued customers. We had a record 35 vendors this Saturday, the 27th of June, and more vendors are due to join us as the season progresses with produce ripening in July and August. Kevin Noon joined us as a new vendor who will double as a visual attraction as he sharpens knives, scissors, lawn mower blades and all manner of cutting and gardening tools using hand stones and a treadle driven grind stone mounted on the cast iron base of an old Singer sewing machine. Jerry and Elaine May of Heron Hill Farm have returned for the season selling many pounds of snap peas to an appreciative market. The peas of course are just the beginning of what promises to be a wide variety of seasonal produce coming from our north east Ohio growers.

There were quite a few times when there were no parking spaces to spare for our customers and they needed to walk from farther north on Franklin Avenue and College Streets to attend. We are truly blessed with a loyal and supportive customer base. Not only are we selling a lot of fine locally grown and baked products, but we're helping to contribute to our local economy through increased traffic downtown! The market is a positive economic factor in the life of our community. People seem to be shying away from making big purchases at the chain retailers, but they seem to be patronizing our local shops and farmers' markets more. We may be part of a renaissance of thought in regards to how people shop and acquire their food. This past week, PBS played a documentary on farmers' markets across the United States. An increasing proportion of Americans are seeing the value in shopping from local vendors especially in the agricultural food sector.
Our music was provided by Andrea Bussinger on folk guitar along with Adam Kuhn playing slide guitar and Bob Wilson on harmonica who joined in spontaneously! They performed almost non-stop from 10:00 to 12 noon interrupted only by applause, the sounds of our bustling farmers' market and an occasional passing freight train. Next week, July fourth, we'll be entertained by the return of the now famous, ten member Kent Shindig All-Star band led by Kentite David Badagnani. The group will perform from 10-12 noon under the Haymaker Bridge along Franklin Avenue. Please be sure to make it a full day by joining us all downtown at Kent's annual Heritage Festival sponsored byt the Kent Chamber of Commerce. There will be more music, great fair food and interesting booths to shop and explore right close by. I'm sure a great time will be had by all!

All the best to everyone for the week ahead!

Fritz Seefeldt.