Do you remember Bluffton before a farmers' market existed?
The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce started the farmers' market in 2003 when Wendy Chappell-dick was CEO.
The first committee included Chappell-Dick, Alan Comesky, Pete Fleming and Jon Sommer.
"Our first vendors were TR Steiner, Bread Kneads, The Kitchen Co-Op (Linda Suter, Becky Kreider and myself) and Heather Theis. It took us two years to recruit the seven vendors we needed to start the market," she said.
Chappell-Dick continues: "One of our biggest challenges was to convince Citizens National Bank to take the risk of letting us set up in their parking lot. Peter Suter was instrumental in convincing them that the market would be a success and a benefit to all of Bluffton on Saturday morning.
"They have been very generous to us ever since. One of our biggest decisions was the commitment to make the Bluffton farmers' market a producers market rather than a re-sale or flea market."
The chamber, once again, operates the market, which opened for the season on May 2. It operates each Saturday, rain or shine in the Citizens National Bank parking lot from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Contact [email protected] for vendor information.
