The Waverly Farmers Market is blooming, ready for the season

The Waverly Farmers’ Market kicked off Saturday, part of a slew of events around town marking the start of spring.

Eighteen vendors will be at the market this year, said manager Kelly Cline.

She said many of them are known, long-established sellers, but some are new.

Rita Schults and her husband, Tim, of Blooming Meadows in Waverly, are new to the market but really excited to connect with customers and ready to be part of the farmers market community. For their first market, they made fresh bouquets of flowers and lilacs, which Tim picked early in the morning, eggs and rhubarb.

Across from them stood Rachel Moyer, owner of Crafty Acres. The Clarksville mom said she enjoys coming to the market and reconnecting with her customers. She is now in her third year here and has many fans who love her stuffed animals. She also makes baskets from reeds, which she soaks to soften them, then weaves them into a pattern and then hardens them again.

What keeps Rachel coming back to the farmers market every year is the “great atmosphere,” she said.

“I like talking with other vendors as well as people walking around the market,” she said. “I love crafts and this gives me a creative outlet to sell some of my crafts so others can enjoy them too. »

Across from his table was a tent where Ryan Hockey, of Waverly, was showcasing his unique spice blends for his business, Hockey’s Smokehouse.

The upcoming weekend will be a big one for Ryan as he will be cooking breakfast, selling bacon, eggs and cheese biscuits at the market from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

He started his business a year and a half ago and is excited to take the next step with smoked meats and barbecues.

Cline, the director, said many events are planned for this year’s market. On May 25, for example, there will be a bicycle safety day organized by the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective.

Lucy Bell, a 10-year-old who started making pretzels for the market in 2022, was happy to show off her tasty creations.

Now in her third year at the market, Lucy is learning how to be an entrepreneur, a lesson few children her age know.

“We started with 72,” she said, referring to her treats Saturday around 11 a.m. “We almost sold out.”

At the end of the day, that’s exactly what she did.