In the opening minutes of the first farmers market held in Homer Glen in years, a 1-year-old got to touch a truck while an 89-year-old man and his 88-year-old wife sold vegetables.
Fun for all ages.
Thursday’s opener of the Market in the Glen had a steady stream of customers and may have drawn more than 1,000 people over four hours at Heritage Park. The market will be open from 3 p.m. through 7 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month through Sept. 16.
Homer Glen Community Events Coordinator Sue Steilen said it has been at least five years since the last farmers market was in the village and this was the first in Heritage Park, which opened in 2019.
Amy Blank, the village’s communications and recreations services coordinator, said when the village sent out surveys asking what people wanted at the park, the top answer was a farmers market.
There were 13 vendors for the opener and Steilen expects more as flowers and additional fruits and vegetables become available.
The idea was to start this event in 2020, but the pandemic led organizers to wait until this year to kick it off. Even then, it wasn’t a sure thing.
“There was still so much uncertainty,” Steilen said. “We were not sure we were going to be able to open. A couple of weeks ago we were finally feeling pretty confident. When the governor said we were going to enter the bridge phase, that was a good sign.”
The opener featured Mikayla Garrabrant singing and Lucas Bradarich performing. There was a handful of trucks for kids and adults to touch, including a fire truck that intrigued Tinley Park brothers 3-year-old Hampton and 1-year-old Graham Crites. They got to touch the truck and sit in the front seat.
“We drove here to see the trucks,” their mother, Avery Crites, said “They came here to touch the trucks and I have a small flower farm and I might sell flowers here as well later on.”
Farmers markets are popular in some towns and Crites said she enjoys going to them.
“It’s about supporting the local farmers and knowing where your food comes from,” she said. “And getting out with the kids is always a good thing. There is a lot to do and see.”
Graham had no comment because, well, he is only 1. But he did enjoy the fire truck experience because shortly after his mother brought him down from the seat, he darted right back toward the truck.
On the other end of the age spectrum, longtime Homer Glen farmers Earl and Merna Hiller, 89 and 88 years old, respectively, and owners of Garden Patch Farms, were hawking vegetables that were just picked that morning.
Earl boasts he is the oldest farmer/owner in Homer Glen and is glad to have a market back so close to his farm.
He’s been farming for decades and said he loves everything about it. But he admits that is takes him a little longer to get ready to put in a hard day of work.
“I wake up feeling my back hurting and ribs hurting and it’s ‘hey where’s the pills?” he said. “But once you get up and get moving around, it gets easier. If I sat in a chair for an hour, I wouldn’t be able to get up. But I get up, I walk around and everything goes good.”
While he said there is not much difference in farming from the days — his family run farm opened in the 1930s — he is getting a new question from customers.
“I was asked if I grew marijuana,” he said. “I had to say ‘no.”’
Blank is banking that the market will grow in the coming weeks and hopes it serves as a showcase to Heritage Park.
“We’re hoping that it’s not only farmers market but there will be more crafts, food vendors and entertainment as well,” she said. “We want it to be a time for residents to come out and enjoy this park.
“You can have dinner here, play and enjoy the facilities and maybe pick up some produce or some cool artisan items. Everyone is having fun. After last year, they really want to get out.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
