The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market was in full-swing at 10:00 a.m. on a sun-drenched Saturday morning.
Children laughed and played on the grassy lawn near City Hall at 401 N. Morton Street, while their parents, sitting near the fountain, kept a watchful eye.
Market-goers, many holding bouquets of flowers, walked leisurely between the aisles lined with stands bustling with fresh vegetables, flowers and other farm produce.
Food stands, located at the back of the market, offered food and drinks like steaming coffee and freshly-baked pastries to the weary shoppers.
Susan Welsand, owner of The Chile Woman, is one of the many regular vendors at the Saturday market.
She wore a dress covered with chili pepper patterns, and her stand was decorated with red, chili pepper-shaped string lights.
Welsand said she has been in the chili plant business for 26 years.
“I started out planting way too many plants than I could use, so I ended up selling them at the market,” Welsand said.
Apart from selling at the Farmers’ Market, Welsand mainly ships her plants from her Bloomington greenhouse to all over the country.
Her customers hail not only from Indiana, but also places as far as New York and California.
“People would visit Bloomington and come to the market, and they often told me that although they won’t be in town in the near future, they would still love to buy my plants,” Welsand said. “That’s how I came up with the idea of shipping plants out.”
As a long-time vendor of the market, Welsand has seen many changes over the years.
“People come and go, but for those who stayed, we became like family,” Welsand said.
Recent IU Jacobs School of Music graduate Anna Maberry could attest to Welsand’s remark.
Walking around the market, one can expect to hear a symphony of different tunes coming from the live performers who dotted the streets.
Maberry played the violin while a sign in front of her read “college is expensive!!” with the word “college” crossed out and replaced with “grad school.”
This was her second time performing at the market.
“I love the atmosphere," Maberry said. "Everybody is so friendly and welcoming."
While Maberry was performing, a man stopped to listen. He dropped several $1 bills into her violin case.
“Thank you for playing music,” he said.
The market is capable of bringing all sorts of people together. From the recently graduated IU student to the 26-year veteran, it's one big social event and one Welsand rarely misses.
“I love meeting my customers face-to-face and getting to know them,"Welsand said. "I usually spend a lot of time on my farm, so it is great coming out to the market and talk to people.”
