Amenia Farmers Market has a promising start

AMENIA — Rudy Eschbach’s Cedar Hill Farm booth was empty for most of the afternoon last Friday at the official opening of the Amenia Farmers Market.

“I was sold out within 18 minutes,� he said, motioning to an empty basket advertising rhubarb.

The culprit was later revealed to be none other than town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard (he was at the fishing derby the following day and said it was quite good rhubarb). While it’s still early in the growing season and the Cedar Hill Farm booth will have much more to offer as the season progresses, it was a good indication that the idea of a farmers market in Amenia has the community’s blessing.

Eschbach has acted as the main organizer for the market for some time, working with the town and the North East Community Center, which operates the successful farmers market in Millerton, and has been happy to lend a helping hand as an advisor.

The Amenia Farmers Market has plenty working to its advantage right out of the gate. First is location, with prime real estate in the parking lot of the Amenia Elementary School building on Route 22. Webutuck is currently allowing the farmers market to operate until the town officially takes over ownership of the building and the property, which Euvrard said will hopefully happen next month.

Second are the operating hours, scheduled for every Friday afternoon so as not to compete with any other farmers market operations in neighboring towns. Visiting weekenders from the city will be heading up on Route 22, right through Amenia and right past the farmers market.

Six vendors had set up shop last Friday, May 21, for what Eschbach said was more of a trial run to work out any kinks in time for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, which should see the first big influx of visitors to the area this season. The parking lot can fit up to 13 booths, and spaces are still available to rent.

“The location seems to be good and the traffic is great,� Eschbach said. “It seems to be working out for everybody and we’re very happy, very pleased.�

Vendors ran the gamut from old hands at the farmers market business, like Lynn Mordas, whose Dashing Star Farm has a booth at the Millerton market, to farms that are getting their first taste of market life, like Vicki Harkness’ Perry Hill Farm.

“I think it’s an opportunity to learn about the farmer,� she said about the advantages of participating in a farmer’s market. Perry Hill Farm offers produce, plants and trees, and like the other participating vendors will have more and more to offer as the season continues. “You’re bringing the farm to the customer. It’s kind of like going to a shopping mall.�

The Amenia Farmers Market has a board of directors consisting of  Eschbach, resident Tom Werner and Sophie Meili of Meili Farm. They’ll be tweaking the market, perhaps staying open a little later (the market is currently scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m.), and there were talks of printing up pamphlets advertising the market and creating more signs to get the word out.

“We’re learning as we go along,� Eschbach said, “to see how we can make this work.�

“I’m very encouraged,� Meili added. “Usually the first day is very slow, but we’ve had pretty consistent traffic. I sold more eggs here than I did at Kent last week, and the Kent market is established.�

Mordas was confident that great things would come from the Amenia market.

“It’s a great location and a great time,� she pointed out, “and with excellent products, they’ll sell themselves.�

Latest News

Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

Haley Leonard and Khyra McClennon looked on as HVRHS pulled ahead of Webutuck, May 2.

Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers fall 3-0 to Wamogo

Anthony Foley caught Chase Ciccarelli in a rundown when HVRHS played Wamogo Wednesday, May 1.

Riley Klein

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball dropped a 3-0 decision to Wamogo Regional High School Wednesday, May 1.

The Warriors kept errors to a minimum and held the Mountaineers scoreless through seven innings. HVRHS freshman pitcher Chris Race started the game strong with no hits through the first three innings, but hiccups in the fourth gave Wamogo a lead that could not be caught.

Keep ReadingShow less
The artist called ransome

‘Migration Collage' by ransome

Alexander Wilburn

If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.

Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Four Brothers ready for summer season

Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. John Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.

Leila Hawken

The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.

The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.

Keep ReadingShow less