Two farmers markets now provide twice as much opportunity for shoppers to find fresh produce.
Historic downtown Minden was filled with people 4 p.m. Tuesday as the farmers market on Esmeralda Avenue officially opened.
The annual farmers market in Lampe Park started on Wednesday morning.
Both markets offer a variety of goods.
At the Minden market there was art, including local photographer Dave Nishikida of Foothill Photography. There were several tables of jewelry, including Cookie Lee and Jewelry by Park Lane. Soaps and lotions were on display from local vendors such as Sierra Snow Soaps, who uses snow water as an ingredient.
The crowd clapped and danced while musician Ben Crocker played country music on his guitar. Vendors sold sandwiches and lemonade and children walked around slurping on snow cones. There were also carriage rides.
The Minden market was put together by Roxanne Stangle and Kregg and Howard Herz, when they decided that the Valley needed to give people something to do in the evening.
"We'd been talking about doing this for three, four years now," Kregg Herz said. "Tuesday night made the most sense."
"Wednesday is for a different crowd. They are two separate events," said Herz.
Shoppers in Minden on Tuesday could be overheard saying that it wasn't always convenient to attend the Gardnerville market, which is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays.
"It's a community nighttime event," said Kerry Miller, a Cookie Lee consultant. "It's fun and safe for kids to walk around."
At one point during the evening, the unpredictable Nevada weather struck again. A brisk breeze swept through the street, often disrupting vendor's tables - blowing away brochures, knocking over jewelry stands.
"That's Nevada for you," laughed Lorraine Felix of Felix Pottery as she watched the chaos. Felix has a table at both the Tuesday and Wednesday markets.
Many people plan on attending both markets throughout the summer.
"I go to the other one every year," said Shehed Al-Azadi, a sophomore at Western Nevada Community College, of the Gardnerville farmers market. "I like it."
It was still cold the next morning at Lampe Park, but the wind had subsided and there were people already shopping. The bright colors of strawberries, apricots, and peaches could be seen from the street, contrasting with the gray overcast sky.
"Your cookies and brownies are the best in the world!" Kyle Brannan, of Gardnerville, said enthusiastically to the baker from Bakery-Cafe. Others agreed as they lined up to purchase pastries and bread from the bakery.
Gloria Kenyon and Laura Winking bundled up and sat at their table for Juice Plus+, capsules that contain fruit and vegetables. Kenyon and Winking also sell their wares at the Minden market.
"We've been very busy," Winking said. "It's been a little hectic."
The Lampe Park Farmers Market was quieter, but many customers were buying fresh produce and browsing tables selling pottery and garden decor.
Gardnerville resident Ginger Reed is a frequent at the Lampe Park Farmers Market and also attended the Esmeralda market.
"I go every week," she said of the Lampe Park market. "I prefer to get produce from local vendors."
Vendors from both farmers markets come from all over Northern Nevada, as well as California. Many of the business owners work out of their homes, and most of the vendors have been in business for at least a couple of years.
