Rained Out Market Day

According to the radar map, the weather didn't look all that promising for today's Market.  The local hourly showed rain off and on, a mix of sun and clouds, with imbedded thunderstorms, but we packed the Kia and headed downtown anyway.  Other years when I was just a customer, on the rainy days the vendors were set up inside the L&N Depot building.  This morning when we arrived around 8:30, all the tents were set up outside and vendors were setting up their crafts and foods.  The farmers were totally set up with lines of customers buying freshly picked chard, spinach, lettuces, radishes, kohlrabi, sprouts, and more. Cliff strung up the straps for my apron display, set up the folding table for hats, yoga mat bags, and other crafts.

  He then headed straight to the English pastry lady to socialize and get his chocolate chip cookie fix.

Bought Swiss chard, spinach, purple radishes, big head of butter crunch lettuce from my favorite farmers.

The Pie Guy setting up his fruit pies and his quiches.  When Mark and Jen were visiting, I bought two quiches and one lemon meringue pie from him.  He usually sells out in a couple of hours and takes orders that keeps him busy all week.

Lots of locally grown flowers, herbs, bushes this time of year.

Minutes after returning to my tent, the rains came.  Water poured off the tent.

 

During the downpours, Anne pushed the rain off her tent and went around poking other tents for vendors.

Water gushed from the road into our area soaking anyone on that side of the market.

Cliff helping Anne release the water pressure from her tent.  Their shoes were soaked as the water gushed from the road.  She secured her tent with gallon jugs filled with water in case of sudden gusts.

A river of rain running into our site.  Cliff asked if we were having fun yet.  Then came a couple flashes of lightning followed by thunder and we started packing up.  The breakdown only took minutes.  We didn't bother folding anything, just placed aprons in a stack on top of each other, set the hats in another container, drove the Kia up to the tent and threw everything in the back.  My crafts weren't ruined, just wet, but I felt badly for the vendors who had baked and decorated cakes, cookies, and pastries for this Mother's Day market.  This Mother's Day weekend had the potential for great sales but mother nature had a different plan. 

I put all the aprons in the drier and took the wrinkles and dampness out.  We'll be ready for next weekend.  I'm going to add team aprons to the collection.  This week will order Gator fabric, Georgia and Tennessee team fabrics online and whip up a new line to sell.