An annual Tyrone tradition is winding up on Wednesday.
The downtown Farmers’ Market will be held on Logan Avenue near 10th Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The weekly event, which has been running since June this year, features many of the same vendors folks have grown used to seeing.
Way Fruit Farm was again among the vendors this year. Sharon Way and her father Walter DeArmitt manned the booth last week and Mrs. Way invited everyone to stop by the Farmers’ Market one last time this Wednesday.
Previously, Sharon’s husband Brooks summed up why people should visit the farmers’ market by saying “It’s a good time to come visit your neighbor and help your local farmer.”
Also, once again, Blair Senior Services offered assistance to seniors wanting to take advantage of the farmers’ markets in the area. The agency administers the Senior Citizen Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) in Blair County.
The program issues checks for income-eligible older adults to exchange for fruits and vegetables at local farmers’ markets. Those who still have checks can present them at this week’s Farmers’ Market in Tyrone. The checks can also be used at other farmers’ markets until Nov. 30.
The program allows each eligible individual to receive four $5 checks, for a total of $20 per person. The checks must be used to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables at specified locations. If a check is used to make a purchase of less than $5, the bearer of the check is not entitled to change; however, individuals will be required to pay the difference for purchases that exceed the face value of the checks. It is advised that participants be prepared to spend the entire $5 check when they visit a market. Checks must be endorsed only in the presence of farmers’ market personnel.
Although popular in Tyrone for the last two decades, smaller and rural communities aren’t the only place where farmers’ markets can be found.
Last year, The Associated Press reported farmers’ markets were finding fertile ground in big cities and small towns. The U.S. Agriculture Department said farmers markets had doubled over a ten-year period.
The AP report said the growing popularity of the markets is attributed to a number of factors: less tolerance for bland meat and produce some consumers associate with big factory farms; more demand for the just-picked freshness and nutrition of locally grown food; increased awareness about supporting local economies; and health and environmental concerns about the use of antibiotics and pesticides.
