Farmers’ Market: People watching
The weather this summer has presented a challenge, hasn’t it?
Enough so that we can get excited about two Saturday mornings in a row that it did not rain (much). Enough so that in response to our gallows humor, our resident weatherman has suggested we find a warm place to go (probably not meaning a vacation home in the Bahamas). Enough so that the Market vendors standing in the parking lot at the Aroostook Centre Mall have more down time than we would like — sales have been slow as customers either dash from their cars for a single purchase or fail to come at all.
Of course we like to be busy, but a bit of free time to interact with stout-hearted, loyal customers who appear regularly, rain or shine, is a heart-warming experience. People-watching affirms our fundamental beliefs about the folk who people Aroostook County. Examples include lovely Judy who nearly every week walks slowly from stand to stand with her equally lovely mother, allowing her to select the vegetables and fruits that appeal to her. Once purchased, Judy tucks the parcels under one arm to leave a hand free to help if needed, as age challenges her mother’s ability to get very far very fast. However, it is clear from the light in her eyes that her inner light has not dimmed. Their interactions are each week a tableau of familial affection that makes any observer smile warmly and venders look forward to their patronage.
There is Alice, whom customers may know as the “Master Gardener Lady.” Many times over the summer, she has arrived with a small table and bundles of information from the Cooperative Extension Service of Maine. These she cheerfully shares with anyone expressing an interest in such topics as composting, less toxic and wasteful approaches to lawn care, vegetable and flower gardening, or “yardscaping”in an eco-friendly manner. Between clients or on wet days that would spoil her papers, she visits other tables, bringing a cheerful smile and a pleasant greeting. She takes vegetables, meat, eggs, cut flowers, plants and bulbs home to her husband, Gary. Alice, though supposedly retired, remains interested and interesting as she pursues multiple interests in people, animals, and the out-of-doors while sharing her own garden stock as well as her “finds” from the Market with Mantle Lake Park and UMPI grounds.
There is a young (unfortunately nameless) couple whom we all recognize primarily because there is just about half as much of them as there used to be! They made up their minds that they were going to deal with their plague of obesity that affects so many Americans. Metaphorically, they grabbed the scruffs of their own necks and shook some sense into themselves. Specifically, they completely changed their eating habits, educated themselves about food choices, and now speak knowledgeably about vitamins, minerals, and enzymes found in wholesome foods such as what they select at the Farmers Market. One or the other, sometimes both, proudly show off their “100-pound loser” pins as they acknowledge that they “really lost an entire person between them.”
Many people with many stories is one of the parts of Presque Isle Farmers Market on Saturday morning that we as venders enjoy most. We thank each and every one for their presence and support.
Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net. The group’s website is https://sites.google.com/site/presqueislefarmersmarket/