The dog days of summer are behind us and scorching days are giving way to the enjoyable warmth of early fall. Summer may have passed but take heart, the Farmers Market is still in full swing. After a one week break for the Labor Day Festival, the Farmers Market continues on Sundays in the parking lot between Roosevelt Center and the Community Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Millennial Initiative,
Historic Roots
Born in June 2008 under the auspices of a small group of then 30-somethings, it was the local flowering of a concept that brought together fresh food and old friends, community and enterprise. It survived the trauma of the Covid period and continues to win its annual bout with the county’s Department of Permits, Inspections and Enforcement. Perhaps this resilience is not surprising since the earliest markets known date from over 5,000 years ago in Egypt and formal chartered markets are recorded in Europe from the 12th century – surviving plagues, war and pestilence that make Covid look like a piece of cake.
Self-renewing Prophecy
Over the years since its founding, the market has continued to thrive. Its founders have successfully passed the torch and the volunteer management team has evolved healthily over time – not dependent on the dogged support of one or two aging boosters, but recruiting generations of volunteers that self-replicate in the darkness of winter. Though none of the original members remain on the board, most remain local and are to be seen buying their veggies there every week.
Effective Management
The on-site management of the market has also evolved. Originally, the board members took turns as market manager but that proved unsustainable with the other duties as assigned, and the market is on its third successive and equally capable individual who has taken on this contract position, funded by vendor fees. A board member remains on call for each market if required. Market vendors have said that one of their reasons for continued attendance is how well it’s run – standards remain high and discipline and orderliness prevail.
Though vendors do come and go, many come and stay for many years. Of over 30 vendors this year, some weekly and some alternating, more than a third have participated for almost the entire time.
Continued in-kind support from the city is also key. City public works staff reliably set up parking barrels and ensure sufficient trash receptacles and the Greenbelt Police Department maintains ongoing awareness and is prompt to respond to concerns.
A European Tradition
In visiting European cities, towns and villages, one becomes aware of each having its unique marketplace. They are usually located in the center of town, next to the main church and public buildings – with each town having its market day or days and selling the full gamut of fruit, vegetables, meats, fish and dairy products. Today’s European outdoor markets still thrive and often involve large trailers with open sides that drop down revealing the treasures within. With refrigeration and running water, they are essentially portable stores. Europe’s indoor markets offer the same artfully arranged and colorful displays, but may be located in fascinating historic buildings. For example, Barcelona’s covered central market was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi and is a soaring and fanciful interior space.
Prosaic Greenbelt
No architectural marvel, Greenbelt’s market is here today and gone tomorrow in an unromantic parking lot near you. Its tents are modular 10’ squares, singly or up to three or four connected and held down by 24 pound weights at each corner to meet county specifications for safety in high winds. Vehicles are parked unromantically behind the tents. The food is arranged attractively but hardly gives the same sense of a bountiful cornucopia, like you might see in Paris or Lisbon. But there’s still that essential free-flowing feel of openness and freshness. The vendors, returning year after year, are almost honorary Greenbelters (and some are actually Greenbelters) – and with ukelele bands and local entertainers with guitars and song, it’s vibrant and down-home entertainment.
Friends and Family
One aspect of the market that does rival those of Europe, is that, like the agora of an ancient city, it is a place where people gather and encounter old friends and meet new people.
Even though the weather has lost the sparkle of spring, the market is the place to be on a Sunday morning. Buy lunch and sit on the grassy slope between it and the Community Center or pick up fresh bread and a cauliflower. It’s arguably Greenbelt’s freshest and most vibrant institution.
