Farmers Market nears end of 10th season

Photos by Tom Rivers – Dennis Stymus looks over his display of vegetables on Saturday at the Orleans County Farmers Market, which is in its final week of the season this week.

ALBION – A farmers market will conclude its 10th season this week with a show of appreciation for the loyal customers.

The Orleans County Farmers Market has been setting up in Albion on Saturday morning for 10 years. The market also has been in Medina for eight years.

“Even if the weather is bad we have a very broad customer base,” said Ann Nice of Nice Farms, who also serves as market coordinator, planning some special events during the season.

The Orleans County Farmers Market meets on Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m. in the Erie Canal Basin off East Center Street and on Saturdays in Albion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Save-A-Lot parking lot, 320 West Ave.

Jerome Pawlak, owner of Save-A-Lot, said the market has been an asset for the community.

“They have a nice selection of product and they’re good neighbors,” he said. “They definitely have a following here.”

Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina will offer wine tastings at the market on Thursday. Nice Farms also will offer samples of different types of fruit.

Ken and Ann Nice of Knowlesville have been with the market since it started in Albion.

Nice Farms and Stymus Farms also plan to donate produce to food kitchens in Medina and Albion following the market days this week. The vendors at the two sites are collecting nonperishable donations from the public that will be given to local food pantries.

The market has been a boost for Dennis Stymus. He has expanded his operation in Barre. He has seven greenhouses along Maple Avenue. Stymus also goes to markets in Williamsville and Batavia, and many of his market customers also come to the farm stand by the home farm in Barre.

“It’s close to home,” he said about the markets in Albion and Medina. “This is our base.”

Like Sytmus, Nice Farms has grown its market presence since joining the sites in Albion and Medina. Ann and Ken Nice’s daughter-in-law Jennifer goes to Le Roy and two markets in Batavia. Many of those customers also come to Nice Farms’ stand in Knowlesville.

There are three vendors currently at the Albion and Medina markets, with Renko’s Meat Processing of Kendall joining Nice and Stymus.

“It’s taken a few years but we’ve been able to build up our base for a nice small-town market,” Nice said.