White Hall Farmers Market changes to Saturday morning

By Editor | July 27, 2022 |

Bridget Schutz, of White Hall, set up a table at the White Hall Farmers Market Saturday morning where she sold a variety of different homemade candles. While it is called the “Farmer’s Market” vendors are welcome to come up and sell a variety of different items to give customers a “one-stop” shopping experience. The Farmer’s Market is every Saturday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. at Whiteside Park. (Submitted photo)

By Carmen Ensinger

For as long as anyone can remember, the White Hall Farmers Market has been held on Thursday afternoons from 4 to 7 p.m. at Whiteside Park. However, that changed recently when the date was changed to Saturday morning.The Farmer’s Market is sponsored by the North Greene Garden Club and the Garden Club had a specific reason for holding the Farmers Market in the afternoon.
“Our idea behind holding it between 4 and 7 p.m. was we were thinking that people would stop in on their way home from work and maybe pick up their vegetables for supper that night or for the coming week,” North Greene Garden Club member Sue Vinyard said. “Well, lo and behold, that was not the case at all. We only had one vendor that came on a regular basis and not a whole lot of customers.”
That one vendor, who was very faithful and always came to make sure that there was at least something there for any customer who might wander in, made a suggestion.
“He approached the Garden Club with an idea of changing both the time and the date thinking we might get more customers and vendors by doing so,” Vinyard said. “Members of the Garden Club got together and discussed it and we thought, well, it is not working the way it is so let’s give his idea a try.”
His suggestion was to change the date to Saturday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. and the first Farmers Market on this date was held on July 16.
“We have already seen an improvement over last year,” Vinyard said. “I think for one thing, it is cooler of a morning than it is in the heat of the evening and therefore more people are apt to come out and bring their things to sell.”
There were also a lot more customers than have been visiting in the past.
“I think this is due to the simple fact that people are out going to yard sales,” Vinyard said. “Lots of people get out on Saturday morning hunting for yard sales and drive by the park on their way to one, they see us and maybe they will stop.”
Of course, it is still early for backyard gardens to be producing much of anything yet, but in a few weeks, Vinyard said, they should be seeing a bumper crop of tomatoes and other garden vegetables and more and more vendors coming in.
So far, they have seen some local people selling garden vegetables, people selling baked goods and a variety of different vendors selling items such as homemade candles.
“We welcome anyone to come up and join us on a Saturday morning,” Vinyard said. “Bring whatever it is you have to sell and we will find a spot for you. We don’t care how big you are or how small you are – you are welcome to come up and join us.”