Farmers market offers variety of produce, goods in TC

The Trout Creek Community Improvement Association has revived the farmers market in Trout Creek and business is booming. The market is held every Wednesday evening from 4 to 6 through the end of August and possibly into September if the warmer weather holds out.

The Trout Creek Farmers Market showcases locally produced fruit, vegetables, meat and eggs, and some of the best baked goods and preserves in the region according to their website. Its attendance has seen rapid growth in the past year, thanks to the popularity of the vendors and the loyalty of their customers. Even the staff and students of Trout Creek School are working to contribute to and utilize the market to raise funds for the school and its students.

"We come to the market regularly to see Rose Zimmerman and purchase some of her amazing doughnuts and we love all of the fresh vegetables. We picked up some amazing butter leaf lettuce last week and we always look forward to the fresh tomatoes," commented Preston Wentz, principal of the Trout Creek School. "We have teamed up with generous community members and have implemented a community garden at the Trout Creek School. My goal is to set up our own booth here at the market eventually which would be stocked with produce that is grown, harvested and sold by our students. We are hoping to have a booth set up towards the end of this growing season," added Wentz.

The Trout Creek Farmers Market is growing rapidly and attracting a variety of vendors and customers alike. However the goods at the market are in limited supply and folks are showing up early and shelling out cash for everything from homemade bread to handmade soaps. Many seasoned customers advise newcomers to show up early and wait for the bell to ring.

"The way the market works is that you have to show up early and then you can have a look around before service starts, but you are not allowed to purchase anything until the big bell has been rung. Once the bell has been rung everything is fair game to purchase," said loyal farmers market customer Christina Goodwin from Trout Creek. Goodwin had stopped by the market to purchase some fresh fruit and vegetables.

The attendance rate for the market is growing rapidly and not even inclement weather could stop the hustle and bustle of local vendors and shoppers. "The crowd has been great today. I was worried about the weather when I got here and didn't set much up at my booth but the clouds and rain gave way to some sunshine so now I'm all set up." said Kathy Regier, a member of the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association who is organizing and hosting the market. "Things are going pretty good for everyone here today. Many booths are already sold out of some if not all of their goods. I make and sell block prints. I draw an image and then trace it onto a rubber pad and then I carve the picture into the pad and print my designs like you would with a rubber stamp. One of my best sellers is this Bigfoot image I designed and then I made them into t-shirts. Where I grew up in the upper peninsula area of Michigan Bigfoot is very popular."

Even local children joined in the market with an entrepreneurial spirit. "My daughter is here with me selling lemonade and handmade earrings. She is doing very well and actually just left to make another batch of lemonade because the first batch she made sold out," said Sarah Cooper, who founded the Trout Creek Market in 2009 and has since passed the reins to Regier. Cooper has a booth set up and is selling baked goods with an interesting twist. The brownies that she sells are cut, packaged and labeled according to their baking placement in the pan. Each brownie has a color coded sticker on it. The color of the sticker corresponds with a color on the legend. "I didn't realize that people were going to enjoy our brownie labeling system so much. The corner, edge and middle pieces all have a different colored sticker on them and we have a little sign here that tells you which color corresponds with the type of brownie. That way you can pick the piece that you like the most.''

The Wednesday evening market at the Trout Creek Community Park is a spectacle to experience but get there early if you are wanting to take home some goodies. "The market is a nice way to spend an afternoon socializing with and getting to know your neighbors as well as supporting your local economy. We have had some really great folks moving into the county lately and the growth has been very beneficial for local business and vendors," said vendor Leanne Linker Smith of Heron.

For more information go towww.troutcreekcia.org/farmers-market.