Crowds flock to Danville Farmers' Market on opening day

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Shoppers had to be fast — and early — to bag some of the fresh produce Saturday at the opening day of the Farmers’ Market in Danville.

Fresh greens, asparagus and lettuce, as well as farm-grown chicken, fresh eggs, baked goods and handicrafts, were for sale at the Community Market on Craghead Street.

Asparagus and lettuce were gone by 9 a.m., and the greens were going just as fast.

Thelma Harris, of Danville, was just in time to load a bag with greens at Fredrick Holland’s stand.

“I came in especially for some green vegetables,” Harris said with a satisfied grin.

Holland arrived with a load of the greens, and by 9:15 a.m. he pointed to his truck full of empty crates and smiled.

“Business has been good,” he said.

Del and Brenda Livengood, of Walnut Winds Farm in Blairs, said their asparagus was sold immediately, and their spring garden plants were moving well.

“We were very surprised at the people waiting when we opened today,” Brenda Livengood said. “We’ve been pretty busy.”

Darrell and Ruth Whitt manned the Skunk Hollow Farm booth, which had spinach, asparagus, lettuce, ramps, fresh eggs and some herbs when the doors opened at 8 a.m.

“We had a very nice crowd this morning,” Darrell Whitt said, as he looked at what they had left at 9:15 a.m. — some eggs, a few ramps and a couple of bunches of mountain mint.

Barry and Lisa Herndon, of Herdon Family Farm in Dry Fork, were doing a brisk business with their grassland-raised chicken and lamb.

“We’ve had a lot of people through already,” Lisa Herndon said. “I bet it will pick up even more when more vegetables come in.”

Ernest Brandon, the fourth generation of his family to bring Brandon Family Farm goods to the Farmers Market, had country brown eggs, homemade soap, jams, jellies, sassafras, black walnuts and pecans for sale.

Brandon said his grandmother, Ola Mae Brandon, has been a fixture at the Farmers Market for 74 years. She wasn’t at the booth for opening day, but Brandon said he expects her to come during the summer.

“She just turned 90 on April 19, and started coming in 1934,” Brandon said. “Everything here we grow or make.”

Pickings at the Sandy River Pork booth were very slim just 90 minutes into the day, where shoppers purchased fresh pork raised on the Axton farm.

“I’m kind of sold out here and its only 20 minutes to 10,” Yvonne Rieck said.

Rieck said they process most of the meat themselves.

“It’s all USDA-inspected,” Rieck said. “We also have fresh beef by order, and will be adding fresh vegetables, all raised on the farm, later in the season.”

At a booth stocked with goodies from Suzie’s Deli, the chicken salad had vanished and only a small assortment of cookies, banana bread and cheesecake remained.

Tommy Voaklander said he, his mother, Suzie, and grandmother, Betsy, all work at the Danville restaurant, which has been open just shy of one year.

Even with most of his food offerings gone, Voaklander stayed busy showing shoppers his grandmother’s handmade quilts, also on display at the booth.

History buffs found a variety of memorabilia at Danny Ricketts’ booth, where he had historical posters of the Old 97 train wreck, the Schoolfield Mill, hand-drawn maps of Danville circa 1829, and a coloring book commemorating the Old 97 wreck, drawn by his wife, Nancye.

Ricketts said he was brought up hearing the tale of the Old 97 wreck because his grandfather, Mark Daniel “Dan” Jones, was one of the first to arrive at the scene to help pull survivors from the wreck.

“I’ve been doing the posters for 30 years,” Ricketts said. “I’ll be back with them a few times over the summer.”

There were artisans displaying handmade jewelry, crocheted blankets and dish cloths, silk floral arrangements, cross-stitched crafts and hand-sewn accessories spread out on tables next to a variety of plants and flowers, bird and butterfly houses — even handmade soaps and lotions from Light & Love Healing Essentials, which will be opening a store on Mount Cross Road, about a mile north of Wal-Mart, on Friday.

Brothers Page and Aubrey Reynolds did a brisk business at their homemade bread display, part of the offerings from Cakes & More — an offshoot of downtown Danville’s In Good Taste.

“We started baking bread at 7:30 a.m. yesterday, and didn’t get done until 8 last night,” a somewhat tired-looking Aubrey Reynolds said, noting that effort started after he finished his shift at his regular job.

A huge assortment of pretty cupcakes was presided over by Sharon Snead, who was appropirately decked out in a cupcake-printed apron.

“We’ll have the standard flavors of cupcakes every week,” Snead said. But we’ll have a special flavor each week too. This week it’s strawberry shortcake.”

Contact Thibodeau at dthibodaeu@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7985.