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Shoppers looking for just-picked vegetables, fruits and flowers will gather Thursday on the lawn of Elon Community Church.

Organizers expect at least 12 vendors to open the second year of the farmers market hosted by the church.

To celebrate opening day, organizers will give away more than 100 vegetable plants, perennials and annuals, as well as seed packets. Also, the church has gathered used cookbooks to sell as a fundraiser.

The market will be open from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through the end of September.

The market will feature eggs, homemade bread, herbs, artisan cheeses, baked goods, honey, jams and crafts. All of the products were made or grown by vendors within 50 miles of Elon.

For kids day on June 18 and July 16, children will be invited to sell the goods they have made or grown. The event drew a large crowd last year.

Fabian Lujan and Sandra Sarlinga, who live in Elon, had the idea to start the market last year when they were looking for a local place to sell their honey. They manage 10 beehives.

The husband and wife knew Elon Community Church is focused on being environmentally responsible, so they proposed the idea to the church’s green committee. The church was thrilled.

“They didn’t even think about it,” Sarlinga said. “They just said yes.”
The weekly event has made the church a gathering spot where people socialize and where community ties are made, Sarlinga said.

“It’s somewhere to go on a Thursday afternoon,” she said. “That’s part of the idea of a farmers market. You do some shopping, but you meet your friends.”

Also, the event has given the church another way to reach community members.

Sarlinga and Lujan are planning several special events for the market in addition to the kids days and are trying to draw more vendors and shoppers to Elon’s only farmers market.

“We’re gathering ideas from farmers markets all across the country,” Sarlinga said.

Elon Community Church is at 271 North Williamson Ave.

For information, visit www.eccfarmersmarket.org or call 584-0391. The fee for vendors is $15.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at 449-4610 or jamie.kennedy @news-record.com