Mike Knoop, farmers market manager and owner of Roc’s, said Charleston’s farmers market has been going on since 1981.

The farmers market was started by the downtown merchants with just two vendors. One of those original merchants was Joan Young, a Paris resident, who is still participating 31 years later.

Knoop said his favorite part of the farmers market is talking with people.

“It’s not only the produce, but the artwork, it’s the social aspect of the whole thing,” he said. “Being able to talk to regular customers and drink coffee and tell lies.”

He said that the spots are 10 feet by 20 feet and rent out for $5 a week and the money goes to advertising. If a resident is involved in the farmers market every year, or on a yearly basis they can pay in advance and reserve a spot.

Charleston’s farmers market runs from June to October and is every Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., but will be on Tuesday next week to accommodate Red, White & Blue Days.

Kent Lindsey, a Newton resident and independent contractor for Office Max, said he likes gardening and the social aspect of farmers market.

“It’s something I enjoy doing, I’ve always had gardens and I was raised on a farm,” Lindsey said.

He said the weather and lack of rain has caused his usual yields to go down.

“The berries are usually a little earlier than this and there is usually a lot more,” Lindsey said. “The raspberries haven’t been real good this year, so we aren’t even fooling with the raspberries.”

Lindsey said he also goes to the farmers markets in Newton and Olney, and he grows a variety of fruits and vegetables including: blackberries, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, jalapenos and bell peppers.

He said he even has people come by his house to buy produce.

Mary Crippen, a stay at home mother from Oakland, and her daughter Isabel Magee got involved in working the farmers market to make some extra cash, and give her daughter a place to sell her artwork.

“It’s just an opportunity for us to earn a little cash and to get exposure,” Crippen said.

Magee said she has been drawing since she can remember. She started out drawing anime, but got into doing watercolors also when she and her mother started participating in farmers market.

“The watercolor that I am doing is something new,” Magee said. “I thought I might as well try it out.”

Other items being sold include fresh baked goods and crafts.

George Denham sells hand made cotton wreaths for $ 2 a piece. He said that because he is handicapped he has difficult time getting around during the winter, so he makes wreaths.

Then when the weather breaks he looks forward to getting out to the farmers market, selling his wreaths and talking with people.

Marcus Smith can be reached at 581-2812 or masmith6@eiu.edu.