Multi-colored geraniums, sweet maple syrup and fresh baked goods were a few of the items sold by vendors on Saturday during the second weekend of the fourth annual Farmers Market at Minnetrista Gardens.
"I think any place in Muncie that can appeal to all types of people is this place," Tom Steiner, owner of The Blue Bottle, said. This is the first summer Steiner has set up a smaller version of his on-campus coffee shop at the market. "I hope we can be here every summer," he said.
Some of the customers, carrying wicker baskets and pulling wagons, prefer the outdoor market to a grocery store.
"I think you can ask people more questions about your purchase," Muncie resident Mae Islom said. Islom said the vendors are "more honest" about the items they are selling and are not concerned with only making a dollar. Islom was pleased with her purchase of hostas and sweet potato vines for her new home in Muncie.
On the average, people can expect to see between 15 to more than 30 vendors, depending on the season, said events coordinator Emily Dension.
"It's a chance for people to visit with friends in a pleasant atmosphere," she said.
Gaston resident Kenny Shipley has been selling different types of maple syrup from five different forests in the area for the past 20 years. "I get to meet the people and they get to meet me," Shipley said. "I enjoy appreciating the people."
Dension said daily booth cost is $5 for vendors and involves very little paperwork. Vendors are not obligated to set up on a consecutive schedule and each day is regulated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"It's very fresh," Dension said. "Some of our vendors get up early the morning with flashlights before the market."
Phoebe Reid, who has been a Muncie resident for 50 years, walks to the market every Saturday with her husband Bill.
"It's fun and home-grown," Reid said while holding her basket containing a small loaf of lemon poppy seed bread. "The vendors are interesting people."
The Farmers Market is every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m and every Wednesday from 4 p.m. until it is sold out.
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