Capturing My Maine's Rocking Summertime Spirit

Summer in Maine means its Farmer’s Market time! I anxiously await the Opening Day for each market with that first-day-of-school anticipation. I love the Marketplaces’ milieu—the people that come, the venders I call friends. It’s a place where I can “hay while the haying is’ good”, and the only time I get to enjoy Maine’s fleeting summer warmth.

At one market, I can smell fresh lamb and pork sausages wafting on a mid summer breeze. At another, it’s feeling the electrifying excitement generated by the market’s very presence, being long awaited and most welcomed by its community. At the third, it’s the sound of laughter, folks sharing conversation, and words of hope. It is at this market that I hear one laugh above all the others—a laugh so hardy, so deep it booms; and inside, I laugh too.

In the summer, the Markets are a place where families come—some teetering on inexperienced legs, some seasoned; some come together as mother and daughter, some as a crew. The dogs all come with their owners in a plethora of colors, breeds, and sizes; and I watch in amazement the resemblance between dog and owner, observing the interactions of all. I learn a great deal at my markets, like how Brussels sprouts grow, and how to tell the difference between a male and a female lobster by just looking at them. Then there’s the sharing of market trends and news, of the good sales days and the slow, and of battling wind and rain.

The beauty of Maine, summer or winter, from her shores to her mountains to her lakes is unequivocal. However, the beauty of Maine’s people and the fruits of their labor are in bloom at Maine’s summertime Farmer’s Markets.