This is typically the burly time of the year when the weather starts getting challenging and folks start asking, “Are there still farmers down at the Homer Farmers Market?

Of course there are. No matter the weather. This is often the time of the year when vendors show up at the Market to find that their tent has blown down, or blown into a neighbor’s tent, or blown away altogether. Recently Mac shared a photo with me of one of those fateful times.

Scott Miller recalls arriving on the morning of the last market of the season one year to find the place wrecked. Almost every tent was down and mangled. They had to cut ropes and haul the debris away. The Market was almost completely tentless that day, but thankfully it was a sunny one.

Then there was that day in 2013 when a moose went running into the Market stomping and snorting. That was exciting. Especially since no one got terribly hurt.

A lot has happened in the last quarter century at the Market. Some vendors, like Mac and Scott, have a long history there. It’s fun to asked folks how they got started.

Colleen Powers and all her herbs, for example, has had a booth at the Market since 2010, before she even got her high tunnel up and running in 2012. Colleen had herbal body products and some herb bouquets, but nothing compared to now. Her land gets too much wind, so the addition of the high tunnel made a world of difference. She started off small, sharing a booth with Jean Steele and her jewelry and art.

People typically start off small and with help from a mentor or friend. Christina Castellanos remembers the first time she saw Dave Schroer with his pumpkins. Every year when September would roll around, she would pick his brain about his tricks for growing them. Dave Schroer doesn’t sell at the Market anymore, but Christina carries on his tradition.

So head on down to the Homer Farmers Market this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or Wednesday from 2-5 p.m. to support the hearty vendors who have weathered the storms.

Kyra Wagner is on the board of directors and the Homer Farmers Market’s biggest fan.