I started the farmers market in 2007 - we had road construction, barriers, dust, rain, about 4 vendors and we struggled. I dressed up like a clown one day - scared people. Passed out zinnia's. Still, we did not have crowds and I myself had very little produce - spring rains virtually drowned parts of my yard.
Last year was a second year of rough and hard going. We had a few new vendors - Ritchie's blackberries, Rex's peppers and tomatoes, Melinda, Collinsville's market manager anchored the first two years and we had a few come and go.
I drove to the market day before yesterday. OMG - must have been close to 10 tents - flowers, fruit, tomatoes, veggies galore. Plants here and there and good old Bear was with his momma - Catherine. I all but cried when I drove away from the market after meeting new vendors and asking Melinda how it was going with her acting as temporary market manager. I felt like a momma who was just seeing her child off to kindergarden. It can walk, talk, potty and manage without me.
17 years ago my dream was to farm my land, sell what I could here and not run all over but farmers markets were the only means for me to get to the public. That urge took hold again and my heart could not make me get to the market this year. 16 years I sold at markets - loaded up after picking the day before, early hours, heat, sidewalks and tables. Now the market is loaded with all the produce a person could hunt for, there's about 10 families adding precious incomes to their lives all because I wanted to put a market in the very location I used to work. Technically, I am president of the market. I still answer questions, manage the localharvest web page, field phone calls and help as I can - but from a distance.
It was a beautiful sight to behold - a market in Downtown Tulsa - at the base of the BOK between the hotel and the PAC. Thriving.
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