Last Saturday I visited the Farmers Market in Fayetteville, AR. I was shocked to see how many people were shopping, listening to the various musicians performing on the corners of the square, and the number of vendors displaying their wares. The last time I strolled through the market was in May of 2004. The buzz was just starting to form and small town farmer's markets were beginning to form around Arkansas. In 2004, I bought a few herb plants and fresh cut flowers as I visited with Allyson Twiggs with the Fayetteville CVB. As we toured the square she shared her hopes that the market would take off and become a draw for visitors and citizens of Northwest Arkansas.

I moved away from Arkansas in the Winter of 2005 and until last week, I have not been able to return to the market. On my way home from the Arkansas Press Association super convention, I took a slight detour and decided to see if the market was still around in hopes of purchasing herb plants for my new garden. To my surprise, the market wasn't only still around but was full of people. As I shopped, I couldn't help but overhear people's discussions. One lady was explaining on her cell phone that they would be a little late getting home. "You see, she said, we found this great farmers market in this town in Arkansas."

I dropped some serious coin in Fayetteville that day and as I drove out of town, I called my old friend Allyson to tell her how excited I was at how successful the market was.

Arkansas is full of small farmers markets just like the one in Fayetteville. Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the new market in Bryant.