STORY AND PHOTGRAPHY ASHLEY SKINNER

The savory aroma of fresh baked sourdough, bright hues of blossomed flowers, sweet taste of apple cider donuts, and the strong musk of a lavender scented candle can all be found in one place.

Amid the heat of the summer sun on a Thursday afternoon in Lebanon, Ohio, where warmth radiates from the smiles of vendors as they greet various customers, all of these items have their place.

On May 16, the Lebanon Farmers Market was held off Mulberry St. for the opening day. 

The Administrative Assistant to the City Manager, Kelli Kline, was in charge of the opening day and will be responsible for the market this year as long as it runs, which is every Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., from May 16 to Oct. 3. 

“I grew up in the country and I have family that are farmers, so I have always had a close connection to farming and agriculture,” Kline told Spark.

Along with this city event, Kline also organizes the Healthy Living Market on June 1, and Light Up Lebanon to celebrate the Fourth of July. She has been organizing these events since 2021.

To sell at the Lebanon Farmers Market, vendors must submit an application to be able to set up a stand.

Returning vendors typically retain their spot throughout each year, but for new vendors attempting to join the line of 12 stands present on opening day, it is first come, first serve.

In 2023, the market was moved to the current location in Bicentennial Park to connect the event more to the downtown area, said Kline. Attempting the same goal, this year’s farmer’s market was updated again. 

“This year we formed a group with our downtown merchants. They are having a bunch of different specials on Thursday nights to link with the market,” said Kline. “We are going to have live musicians in the street, the shops are staying open late, and some of the restaurants are running specials. It’s really nice because we will hopefully be able to get our crowds crossed.”

According to Kline, the negative impact of the pandemic, followed by the movement of the market, lessened crowds at the market for a while. However, this year, four years after the pandemic and one year after the movement, Kline hopes that the crowds of customers will pick back up again.

The staff at Irons Fruit Farm, one of the vendors that attended opening day, are no stranger to the impact of the pandemic.

“Once upon a time we were at eight different farmer’s markets. It was crazy, hectic, and fun. After COVID though, with a lack of help, we decided that one market was enough,” 25 year staff member at Iron Farms Becky Rickenberg told Spark.

Rickenberg said, between the harvesting of fruit and the baking of apple cider donuts on the family-owned farm, everyone who works there is welcomed into that family environment. 

At Keever Creek Farms, another family-run farm and vendor, this theme motivates staff member Tim Smith to want to continue working here alongside his wife Whitney Smith.

The motivation for the farm staff to grow organic and healthy produce goes back a bit further than this though.

“My father-in-law is a Vietnam War veteran that was exposed to Agent Orange,” Tim  told Spark. “That is why he is really passionate and against pesticides and herbicides, because it not only affected him, but also a lot of other people he knew.”

Kline also shares this value of fresh, local, and healthy produce.

“I think it is important to know where your food is coming from. When you go to a grocery store, you don’t know where it is coming from or how it has been handled, or the processes it has gone through. [At the farmer’s market], the food comes from people in your community who grow it on their own farms,” said Kline.

Customers of the market noted this as a benefit to shopping local as well.

“I feel like local people care more about their community. I feel like I can trust local [businesses] more than corporations. I lived in Central Valley [California] for the last ten years, so I know corporate growers personally, so I am very passionate about local organic produce,” customer and community member Cynthia told Spark.

At Little Miami Farms, the third produce stand present on opening day, the husband and wife running the business, Krista and Jamie Arthur, agree with this completely. They also hope that their customers take as much joy in growing their own food and flowers that they do.

“We take pride in the fact that our plants are really healthy, and that we get a lot of repeat customers,” Krista told Spark. “We like to bring joy to everyone with our flowers, and we love seeing folks enjoy gardening. In turn, they can literally enjoy the fruits of their labor by being able to go out and pick a tomato or a pepper.”

Following the trend of family ties, Kirsten Sowers, a vendor at the opening day of the market with her business Sugar Bee Bakery, rebranded her business to be named after her son’s nickname, “Sugar Bee.”

Her motivation for starting her own business came from a hobby that started small, and eventually grew into a side gig. This is something that many of the vendors present said they could relate to.

“[Baking] has its own stress to it, but after a year of doing it, I can do it without worrying too much. It’s kind of a second nature to me now because I can turn off my brain while [baking] and not be stressed out when I am doing it,” Sowers told Spark. 

According to Sowers, baking is an escape from the stress of managing two kids and working full time as a nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. For her, as an added bonus, the funds accumulated from this side business help pay for her student loans slowly, but surely.

From baked goods at Tracey’s Cottage Market, to scented candles at Pawsitively Wicked Candles, each item sold at the market was locally handcrafted or grown.

Community member and customer Elizabeth Gerten said she appreciated the uniqueness of the market, commenting on the rarity of coming across produce like bok choy and foraged mushrooms. 

While valuing the hard work and dedication that the vendors have to their products, Gerten also acknowledged that farmers markets are not for everyone.

“[Shopping local] is based on convenience and time. As I get to know what other markets provide, I can determine if they can actually provide what I want for food,” Gerten told Spark.

In her time as manager of the market, Kline hopes to make this possible, while accelerating interest in “shopping small.”

“It is nice to be able to buy produce from someone who lives in your own city instead of a grocery store,” said Kline. “Not that there’s anything wrong with buying from the grocery store, but it is nice to be able to support people in your local community.”