Community News

Do you remember 1975? Gerald Ford was President, the Watergate conspirators were convicted and sentenced, Saturday Night Live had its premier, Jaws and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were big at the movies, Bill Gates founded Microsoft in Albuquerque…

 And the Doylestown Farmers’ Market opened for business in a vacant lot on Route 202 in Buckingham with a handful of vendors.

 Despite its modest beginning, the market was absolutely cutting-edge for its time. New York City’s famous Greenmarket didn’t open until the following year and Southern California did not have a single farmer’s market until 1979 when the Glendora market opened and became one of only six in the whole state. According to the Los Angeles Times, writing years later, the very thought of a farmers’ market that brought fresh produce to the consumer without a middleman was so radical that “the idea shook the world.”

 When the US Department of Agriculture began keeping stats on farmers’ markets in 1994, there were just 1755 of them in the whole country. Ten years later, that number had more than doubled. Ten years after that, the total more than doubled again. Farmers’ Markets have sprung up all over the place, but few are as well established as ours.

 Because the Doylestown Farmers’ Market is celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year, it is fun to look back and see how it all started. In 1975, the Buckingham Township Civic Association, which still runs the market, reached a licensing agreement with the Loyal Republican Club to use their vacant lot located at the intersection of Burnt House Hill Road and Route 202. The resulting market—called the Buckingham Farmers’ Market—opened in June and ran until the end of the growing season in October.

 For a couple of years it was touch and go. There were weeks when only one or two vendors would show up, and there were weeks when no one would. Informality was the rule. Some of the Civic Association members with home gardens became part time vendors, bringing their own vegetables to sell. The rental fee paid by the vendors was as little as a dollar a week—and the Civic Association had to share its fees with the Loyal Republican Club.

 Then, on July 30, 1977, the market was jolted by the arrival of Trauger’s Farm. Newlyweds Myron Kressman and LeeAnn Kressman, the daughter of Fred Trauger, happened to drive past on their way to the shore, saw the market and stopped to check it out. The next week Trauger’s had a table. The Trauger family had been farming for seven generations. Once they agreed to join the market the family showed up faithfully, rain or shine. The vendor log kept by the Civic Association noted: This farmer knows what he’s doing.

 In 1980 the market acquired a new name and location when it moved to the Doylestown Borough parking lot adjacent to its current location. The market brought along a few of the Buckingham vendors, including Trauger’s Farm. The parking lot proved to be an unusual venue. Cars would sometimes drive right between the vendors. Still, the market fit in nicely with the town and soon developed a following among workers at the courthouse. The Doylestown Inn made a nice profit serving breakfast to the early morning shoppers.

 People had different shopping habits back then. It was not unusual for shoppers to buy 50 pound bags of potatoes and six quarts of strawberries. Today, customers might typically buy a few potatoes and one basket of berries. Still, decades later, some of the original shoppers who bought produce back then continue to buy now.

 Of the handful of vendors who had been in Buckingham, all of them ceased coming to the market many years ago except for Traugers. Happily, however, new vendors began to return year after year, including Wildemore Farms, which has now been selling produce at the market for over a quarter of a century.

 The market long ago moved out of the parking lot and onto South Hamilton Street. The move was supposed to be temporary due to renovations to the lot, but the borough decided that the market was better suited to the street. The vendors were thrilled not to be dodging cars and instead selling their goods in a safe, tree-lined place. 

 Now, dozens of vendors line both sides of the street. Forty years ago, no one could have anticipated that hundreds of people would flock to the market every Saturday, many of them alerted to the available produce through their emails. No one would have guessed that there would be live music, a book exchange, children’s activities and chefs’ demos—or that there would be over 25 vendors selling an amazing variety of produce and prepared foods.

 What does the Civic Association think of all those vendors? The more the merrier! 

 If you want to say hi to our longest-serving vendors, you won’t have to go far to meet them. You will find the not-so-newlyweds Myron and LeeAnn at the West State Street end of the market—only now they are joined by their daughters and grandsons, which contributes to the family atmosphere. Diagonally across from Traugers, you will find Jay Wildemore, who will be more than happy to share his wealth of information about plants and farming.

 The Doylestown Farmers’ market is ultimately about people. True, there have been many changes—even its name—but the fundamental idea has never varied: the one-on-one experience of buying directly from the person who raised your food. The Buckingham Township Civic Association had a good idea 40 years ago when it started the market and is proud to have been its sponsor ever since.

 Please note that opening day is on Saturday, April 18^th, 7 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, with special events planned for children such as face-painting, crafts and balloons, and entertainment for all by the extraordinary singing of Elle. For more information visit www.buckinghampacivic.org.