Focus
University Daily Kansan, July 3. 1985
Page 6
Bob Laing, 933 Tennessee St., says he comes to the market each Saturday to meet people and because he is concerned about the farm crisis in the country. He says the market shows people what it's like to be a farmer.
Many Lawrence residents say that it's more than the good food and the fresh morning air that attracts them to Lawrence's farmers' market. They say it's a chance to meet people and socialize, and they call it...
More than a MARKET
As the sun eased over the horizon, trucks and cars filled with fruits and vegetables began pulling into the parking lot in the 1000 block of Vermont Street on Saturday
Ed Sample, in his overallal and red baseball cap, began unloading onions, zucchini and cucumbers from the back of his hat. The items were displayed the items on a table he had set up.
Sample, 736 N. Fourth St., has been coming to the Downtown Lawrence Association Farmers' Market since it began about 10 years ago.
"I started coming to the market after I had too much stuff for home use," he said. As it turned out, the market was so successful that we bought the market so I'd have enough to sell."
Depending on the growing season, the market usually uses in mid. to late-May and closes in November, said Mary Lee of the Downtown Lawrence Association. It is the morning m. to moon every Saturday. This year it also opens from 4:30 to 8 p.m. every Thursday.
Between the tables filled with produce, a man wearing wire-frame spectacles, faded jeans and a plaid shirt set up a lone cardboard box. On it lay leaves of freshly baked bread and rolls. He said his living depended on income from custodial work at a bank.
By 7 a.m. a crowd began to congregate People strolled from table to table carefully perusing the farmers' produce — ranging from apples to zuccini.
Sheila Walker, Glascos junior, said she came to the market to buy the homegrown
"It's better than what the store has because it's so much fresher," she said. "I love it, but I'm not sure how to eat."
The First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont St., encourages its members to baked goods and fresh produce to the market. The profit goes to a missionary.
John Purcell, 2057 W. Eighth St., a church member who helps at the market, said that although people came for the fresh fruits and vegetables, they also came to socialize
"It's a social affair on Saturday mornings." Purcell said. "Visiting seems to take precedence over selling things."
"I've been coming to the market since it started," she said. "It's a place where I can see all my friends. For a while, I was sick and unable to get out of the house. As soon as I was back on my feet, I headed for the market."
ings." Purcell said. "Visiting seems to tail precedence over selling things." Cecilia Pearson, 740 Ohio St., a retired elementary school principal, agreed with Purcell. She said that many times she came to the market just to have fun.
**Sporting a straw** hat to protect his head from the sun, Bob Laing, 933 Tennessee St., stopped to talk with passers-by. He said he bought the market because he grew up on a farm.
"I've been concerned the last six months over the loss of farms in the Midwest and other parts of the United States," he said. "The market gives the people a chance to experience a little bit of the farmers' lifestyle. It helps people understand why it's so important that we try to preserve the farmers' way of life."
Besides fruit and vegetables, vendors sold other items. For instance, Pam Carvalho, Baldwin City, displayed dried flowers. As people looked on, she made wreathes that could be worn as bands around straw hats.
"My husband and I moved to the country," she said, "and we had this little shed. I began taking flowers in there and drying them. We also calculated so much that I decided to sell them."
When Carvalho began bringing her items to the market about eight years ago, she said there were few buyers and sellers. As she looked around at the lot now filled with them, she said she found the market exciting.
Mary Flory, Baldwin City, puts radishes into a sack for Velma Caples, 1802 W. Fifth St., a lecturer in English at the University of Kansas. Caples said she shopped at the market frequently.
Story by Carol Stephenson Photos by John Lechliter
Ed Sample, 736 N. Fourth St., who began selling leftover vegetables from his garden several years ago, says his business has grown to the point that he now grows crops to take to the market.
Vegetables at the market are displayed simply but with pride. Most fruits and vegetables are displayed in cardboard boxes. The prices are comparable to those in supermarkets, but many of the market customers say the food is fresher.