The first rays of the hot summer sun drifted down among sounds of laughter, scents of freshly-baked pastries and bright colors of sweet strawberries and fresh vegetables at the Durham Farmers Market.
Market-goers wandered through rows of tables and tents lined on both sides of a walkway underneath The Pavilion at Durham Central Park, choosing which goods to purchase and stopping frequently to talk to friends, vendors and farmers.
Now during its ninth season, the Farmers Market boasts goods from 56 vendors from within 70 miles of Durham, Manager Erin Kauffman said.
"Seventy-five percent are farmers, and the other 25 percent are crafters and prepared-food vendors," she said, adding that about 2,000 people visit the market each Saturday morning.
The Durham Farmers Market works with the Durham Central Park Committee and South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces, Inc.-more commonly known as SEEDS-a non-profit community garden, to make the weekend market possible. The items sold range from fresh vegetables to potted plants and home goods.
Pamela Strand, a local photographer, has been a vendor at the market for six years. The market originated with five or six vendors gathered in the parking lot of the old Durham Bulls Stadium, she said.
The market then moved to the larger space of the Measurement Inc. parking lot. Strand said though the size was necessary for the expanding market, the location provided minimal protection from bad weather.
Strand added that she, like many others, is now thankful for the covered, paved pavilion at Durham Central Park where the Farmers Market has served for two years.
Dale Fluke and her husband John, Trinity '78, own Little Tree Farm in Granville County and have been selling fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat at the Farmers Market for five or six years, Fluke said.
"People-even when [the market] was in the parking lot-make it a day-long event," she said. "I'll see people first thing in the morning still hanging with friends, listening to music and chatting at noon."
Fluke said she and her husband, who works full time for IBM, were able to pursue their farming ambitions when they moved to the country from Raleigh. Her husband's grandfather was a farmer in Ohio and she has always enjoyed gardening, she said.
For the summer months, the Farmers Market now also opens Wednesday afternoons. Though it draws a smaller crowd and has fewer vendors, the turnout Wednesdays is growing, Kauffman said.
"We have seen a lot of new customers coming on Wednesdays," she said. "People who can't come on Saturdays, people who work downtown but don't necessarily live in Durham and people who want to restock their fridges with fresh veggies [come] mid-week."
Fluke said the market draws people because of its unique culture and offerings.
"People like having fresh food, supporting the farmers and making sure the land stays as farmland," she said. "We are going towards sustainable, organic farming by crop and animal rotation and minimizing or not using pesticides and herbicides. It's another benefit our customers recognize."
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