You could tell by the almost full parking lot and overflow lot that Union County’s Farmer Market at Heritage Park was a big draw on May 16. The volunteers for the Walk for Water fundraiser walked 1.3 miles, representing the miles Ugandan children symbolically trek to get unclean, unsafe water. There was live toe-tapping Bluegrass music with excellent harmonies by TN90, Face painting, Balloon twists, the UCHS NJROTC presenting colors & leading the Pledge of Allegiance, performances by the Union County Line Dancers, and the E Kapuna Wahine E Kamealoha Polynesian Dancers. A fun-filled day for all.

Brian White is probably best known among gardeners as the Hosta Man and very likely has the largest selection of Hosta in the state. Brian has several greenhouses full of a variety of cultivars (short for "cultivated variety"). There is a wide range of sizes and colors (mostly green, variegated, and “blue”). But at this Farmers Market, Brian brought many other plant varieties, including a gorgeous Japanese Maple. Visit Brian at www.brianwhitesnursery.com .

Virginia not only designs her creations but also does the artwork on the T-shirts herself, selling them for $5-$10. She calls her company the Stand Out Society. Her creations are bright, colorful, and even whimsical. Her brother, Asher, is more interested in history, science, and comics than in design. While he does make comics with his business, Cool Kids Comics, right now he is specializing in the Ottoman Empire (?) and the two Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913). (Unfortunately, my photo of his work did not come out.) Both of these young vendors say that they love their crafts. Our future is safe with creative, well-spoken, intelligent young citizens like these two!

Camden and Mari Zielinski started Zee Farm LLC off Leadmine Bend in Sharps Chapel. They presently have around 25 free-range chickens and a bunch of baby chicks on their family farm. The Zielinskis say that they raise these chickens with “sunshine, fresh air, and plenty of love from their little helpers”. Farm-fresh eggs are available at the weekly Farmers Market for $ 4 per dozen while supplies last. First-come, first-served. On this market day, they were almost out of eggs! Next year’s plan includes garden produce and processed meat chickens.

Sharp Chapel resident Lynn Sutton Prichard-Dykes is a storyteller who draws her motivation from the lessons of daily life. She was at the Farmers Market with her book "Who Cares Anyway?". This book is an uplifting story about a little girl named Lauren and her loving grandmother, Gram-me. Lauren wonders why she should bother with good manners and “with gentle lessons, laughter, and even a few silly mistakes, Lauren sees that using good manners makes everyone feel special”. This excellent book is available both from the author and on Amazon.

Menza’s Italian Beef and Bakery food truck was parked at the new Heritage Food Truck Plaza, serving delicious food just as fast as they could. (I highly recommend the cheesecake). All the comments from the folks who were eating or standing in line around me were positive.

The Union County Farmers Market, a hub of health, connection and local pride, is where our community meets! Don’t miss the next Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9:00 to 1:00.