Bradenton Farmers’ Market opens to biggest crowd yet

With each year, it just keeps getting better and better, Realize Bradenton’s John Hynal said.

The Bradenton Farmers’ Market opened Saturday with a flurry of visitors — of whom Hynal counted nearly 5,000 — seeking out tasty produce, flourishing floral arrangements and a lively atmosphere.

For some, it was a welcome return to Main Street. For others, it was a first.

Nicole Walley moved from Michigan in May.

“I haven’t been (to downtown Bradenton),” she said. “Just trying to get a feel for all the little activities they have here on weekends.”

She only had the chance to sample some varieties of olive oil, but it’s safe to say she’s hooked.

“I love it,” she said. “I haven’t even barely made it in and I love it so far.”

On the sidelines, Tony and Betty Haug were taking a break to people watch before making their next move. Only an hour into the market, they had their hands on a loaf of German bread and a couple of radishes.

“We don’t really make anything (with the radishes),” Betty Haug said. “We just wash them, clean them, put them in the refrigerator, and if we want a snack just take them out.”

The market is a chance to reconnect with friends from Palmetto High School, where the couple met.

“We look and see friends and say ‘hello’ and get out and walk around,” Betty Haug said.

Vendors sold salsas, metal earrings, soaps and honey.

Letitia Napolitano wore her purple tongue-in-cheek T-shirt with pride and purpose.

The “Boo Be Trap” design she concocted, with about 100 pairs of doodled breasts arranged in a heart, hopes donate to the Florida Cancer Foundation with a portion of the sales. Last year, she sold them at the Englewood Farmers Market and gave money to Dollars for Mammograms.

“The concept is that with the proceeds for cancer, we trap cancer and eliminate it,” she said.

She said she’s gotten a positive response from passersby.

“They really like it,” she said. “I’m hoping it’ll take off.

A pair of market-goers walked up to her booth, and a man asked aloud, “Can I get a shirt like that?”

“You can wear a shirt like that, I don’t care,” a woman replied.

The Bradenton Farmers’ Market continues every Saturday through May, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Bradenton Farmers’ Market opens to biggest crowd yet."