Every Wednesday, people come to the market for a dozen different reasons — dinner, friends, music, the simple pleasure of a place where everybody seems to know somebody. But underneath all of it, stories are being exchanged: the farmer behind the table has one, so does the baker, so does the stranger standing in line beside you. Starting with this issue, The Accidental Reporter is going looking for them on purpose.
The format is simple: one question, posed to one vendor or visitor, one week at a time. Not a formal interview — just a question, an answer, and whatever it leads to. Some answers may become full stories down the road. Some may connect to each other in ways nobody expects. All of it starts with the same question this issue puts to the market itself: what does the Trumansburg Farmers Market mean to you?
Every person has a story. Sometimes they just need someone to ask. — Issue No. 6, on the market's new Community Q&A feature
Steady rain thinned the crowds but not the vendors. Cider from forgotten apple trees, a $30 hot dog joke, and a tablecloth stain that "represented the market perfectly."
Read the issue →Behind every Wednesday market sits a Village board, a fundraising Friends group, and a nonprofit fiscal sponsor — and a jewelry vendor who can't unbend a paperclip.
Read the issue →An orange tent hands out $25 in Market Dollars to anyone who asks. A wine tasting with Boland Thomas Vineyards, and a soggy set from Richie Stearns and Friends.
Read the issue →Inside the Library Space's evolution from book cart to craft tent, plus tinsel braiding, herbal tinctures, and a chicken bowl worth standing in line for.
Read the issue →The etymology of midweek motivation, Silo's Telekinetic Chicken, energetic jazz from MSZM, and market regulars Gabby and Hughie making their dog-friendly Wednesday rounds.
Read the issue →The Accidental Reporter launches a new weekly feature — one question, one answer, one story at a time — and formally introduces reporters Cadan and Pakiza.
Read the issue →An orange tent by the stone steps hands out no-questions-asked Market Dollars to anyone experiencing economic difficulty — spendable on anything in the market, from produce to soap to a Chicago dog. It runs on donations, and this season's funds are on pace to run out before the market closes on October 28.
More than thirty farms, wineries, food producers, artisans, and local businesses set up under the pavilions each week. Here's who's currently on the roster — find them, follow them, or just go say hi on Wednesday.
Got a question for The Accidental Reporter, a vendor we should meet, or a Wednesday moment worth writing down? This is the tip line. Cadan reads every one.
Story ideas, corrections, and "you should really talk to so-and-so" tips are all welcome — that's how most of these issues started in the first place.
This edition of The Accidental Reporter is made possible with the support of our local community partners.