Although many affirm that farmers’ markets are very beneficial to the local economy, vendors and consumers alike agree that social interaction and the congregation of the community are the heart and soul of the Shepherdstown Farmers’ Market.
Although, last Sunday morning was dreary and rainy at the Shepherdstown Farmers’ Market, the weather did not put a damper on this community event. Tents were up and people were flocking to them, already socializing with one another and the vendors. Bundles of various types of produce, fresh flowers, homemade beauty products, breads, pastries, plants and herbs are usually displayed at the market with a vast array of items available for the picking.
So, how did all of this begin? In 1991, Bill Grantham and two others approached the Shepherdstown town council and attended seven meetings to get their dream of a market made into reality.
Ever since, Grantham, a seventh generation farmer at Tudor Hall Farm, and his wife, Phyllis, have been coming to the market located behind the library in Shepherdstown. Their 163-acre farm nestled just outside of Middelway, W. Va. is home to nine varieties of eggplant, six varieties of peppers and many others vegetables. Bill commented that the market has a very selective set of vendors meant to offer the community a broad spectrum of products.
Another long-time vendor, Erland Smith of New Hope Farm, has been selling his produce and at the farmers’ market for fifteen years. Smith’s specialty is greens. He has twelve greenhouses on his farm where he grows the produce.
He said of his experience as a vendor, “I sometimes like to think of myself as a circus performer—constantly taking the tent down and putting it back up again.” He also agreed that the social interaction is his favorite part about coming to the market, although he also likes being a perpetual surveyor of its inhabitants. For Smith, he gets a good feeling when people find happiness through his produce, which is an art that he says lasts a lifetime.
Maura Balliett of Fresh and Local Community Supported Agriculture in Shepherdstown, and Tammy Price, a representative for Ridgefield Farm, both echoed the other vendors interviewed—the social aspects of the farmers’ market are what make it so much fun for them. Balliett said that local entertainment and the different people that show up every week have kept things interesting and fun during the eight seasons she has been a vendor at the market. Price and her teenage son, who help out at Ridgefield Farm, say that they enjoy seeing the regulars, the newcomers, and all of the dogs that frequent the market.
Amanda Sampson, a second-year English education major here at Shepherd says she has only been to the market once this season, but said she really enjoys the local attraction. She stated that she likes products that come from the community in which she currently resides, rather than from a corporation that ships their products in from all over the United States or the world.
The farmers’ market is about the people who sell their products, the people who are visiting for the first time, the people who attend occasionally, and the people who make it there every week, rain or shine. It’s a community affair that is open on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. during a season that stretches from April through December.
For people who are seeking locally-grown and locally-made products that have known origins, the Shepherdstown Farmers’ Market is a place to keep in mind. It might appeal to many different students and members of the campus community and those are people who keep this long-standing tradition thriving.