I made a huge mistake at the Homer Farmers Market last week. I told a friend who was visiting from out of town that I would meet him there. And then I forgot to specify the time. I didn’t have his number so I couldn’t call and check in. I just had to see if he came and hope I saw him in the crowd.

It turned out to be a blessing. Instead of running through the Market with a mission, I stopped and chatted with tons of friends, the familiar vendors, and even got some work arranged around an upcoming board meeting.

When I did meet my friend we sat down by the music and he proceeded to see everyone he knew from when he used to live here. Sitting at the Market is like sitting in a café on the Champs Élysées in Paris where they claim if you sit long enough everyone in the world will pass by sooner or later.

Then, the next day, I was at the farm-to-table dinner at Synergy Gardens. There were many of the same people I would see at the Market, but there were also tons of people who have come through over the summer and helped out on Lori Jenkins’ farm.

Many of these young folks are going to move on through Homer, some will figure out how to stay, but all of them have helped add to the vibrancy of our community for the summer.

A reoccurring theme came up. The Jenkins family would not have moved here if they hadn’t known that the community supported local food. The community they grow food for is a community that appreciates good food.

Food is a social event. Buying a local vegetable at the Market is not the only social event. The people working together to grow the food is the first. Then the harvest. Then the Market. Then around your table. All of these social events build our community.

So head on down to the Homer Farmers Market on Ocean Drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and from 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays to connect into this community’s social network.

Kyra Wagner is the coordinator for Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers Market’s biggest fan.