I've been waiting for this since last fall and all through the longest, coldest winter I've ever known. The locals have gotten a good giggle out of me saying this has been a cold winter because for them it was mild--only a few tornado warnings and two days of snow. Snow? I've seen that stuff plenty in the past, but I've never lived with it. It was fun and interesting, but this California beach kid, then Vegas baby, wondered if it would ever end. I don't even want to talk about the tornado warnings--it brings on a screaming case of the willies. Anyway, it seems like it's taken forever, but tomorrow is the kick-off day of the Fayetville Farmers Market. Got my freezer emptied of all those hearty winter foods and homebaked breads, my canning equipment clean and sterilized, and shiny new vases for all the pretty flowers on display.
The camera is cleaned up and ready to go, too. No way is this photographer missing all those colors and activities.
In Vegas, a person couldn't trust a Farmers Market. It was the desert, for crying out loud, and the only real farming we had there was dairy. Try selling that at the Market. Lots of vendors loaded up at Costco or Sam's Club, then pushed off their goods as organic or locally grown. We went a few times, looked at the offerings, and wondered just how dumb they thought we were. Obviously, pretty dumb because business was brisk. We stayed away from the corporate farmed produce and stuck to the healthy stuff, like the funnel cakes and kettle corn and sausage dogs offered at the food vans.
But here, this here is farm land, and the organic farmers are hanging on by their fingernails. Last year I found out about the Market during the last few weeks before closing of the season, but still managed to bring home the most beautiful produce I've seen since I was a kid and California was still mostly farm land. I must've opened the refrigerator six times a day, just so I could peek at the huge bowl of water I'd stuck my variety of goodies in and imagine my nutrient-starved cells vibrating in anticipation of good things to come. Nothing smells better than fruits and veggies with clumps of earth still clinging to them.
Besides the Market, it gets me out of this little town with its oppressive gossip and hell-and-damnation brand of religion. I often feel as if I'm walking on eggshells here for fear I'll break some hidden rule and forever be a social outcast, as I am now. I've never been so lonely in my entire life. People are extremely friendly to strangers and love to talks a bit, but close human relationships are severely limited by which church you go to and which side of the have and have-not line you fall on. We're on the have-not side, but not so far over that we're part of the wretched poverty of these parts. According to the 2010 Census, Arkansas is part of the circle encompassing the largest population living below the poverty line, yet we're the richest state in the entire South. The circle of poverty ends as it reaches up to Bentonville, which is corporate headquarters for Wall Mart. Head up that way and you'll see mansions that make Beverly Hills homes look like bungalows. An economic divide that deep is never good, but for now the state seems to be holding steady.
That's why I like Fayetteville and go there as often as possible. It's not rich, it's not poor, it's a college town, and those are always full of energy, crisp thought, and diversity. There's a hum in college towns that rides on the breath of hope and promises for the future. They also tend towards yummy bistros with a lot of imaginative foods. Born and raised in California, my first words were "mommy," "daddy," and "frijoles." Just as Southerners know their "Q" I know my Mexican food, and the best I've ever had (no lie) was up in Fayetteville. After I gather bright, fragrant flowers and whatever produce I stuff in my shopping bags, I'm heading back to that little cafe for some lunch. I just hope my Spanish isn't so rusty I can't communicate with the waitresses.
Another thing I like about Fayetteville is the variety of experiences you can have up there. You want Southern country? They got it. You want suburban strip malls of concrete and trendy chains? You got it. You want big time college athletics? You got it (go Hogs!). It's a nice break from the homogenization that pervades small town life. There are plenty of benefits of the quiet of country living, and a charm to small town living, but at the moment I'm at the saturation point with both. Give me some open road, a new destination, and some good eats.
The irony of this post is how many photos I could fill it up with, but not until after the fact. Hopefully, I won't be too tuckered from the drive, the shopping, the chatting with the people, and the stuffing of the face, to edit and post photos tomorrow.
Until then, I'm on cruise-control, just waiting for my day in Fayetteville and dreaming about the thrill my senses are about to have.
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