The Local Flavor

I said most of my posts would be about my research in Blacksburg, but I've decided to post about the things I see around town; the festivals, the events, you name it.

There's plenty of shops and eateries around here, but one gem I recently discovered was the Farmer's Market, literally a few steps off campus. Vendors come from all across Virginia (Floyd, Roanoke, Willis, Pearisburg, and more) with all kinds of edibles and antiques.

On a busy day, most vendors can't fit under the wooden awnings.

Plus, there's plenty of people watching to do; for example, take this dapper gentleman below:

The Bagger Vance of Blacksburg makes an appearance.

I talked to one of the head organizers of the market, and asked her about all the oldies posters I kept seeing. They had a early 1900s-old-advertisement-like feel to them. If you've played "Bioshock Infinite," you know what I mean.

Local groups in Blacksburg play at the market every Saturday. Mumford and Sons could come and play that one song with the banjo.

The market organizer told me that a professor in the visual arts department puts the designs together, and they're so popular that they can't put them up around campus because people will steal them. Luckily they were selling old posters at ten bucks a pop, so I had to get one:

They seemed to have a poster for every major event at the Market.  4th of July, Summer Solstice, cook-offs and more had their own unique designs.

And you won't find friendlier vendors anywhere else. Even if you're not looking to buy, all of them are approachable, and don't stand over you expecting you to buy something. I met one woman named Rhonda at her stand called "The Mischievous Carrot Farm" which she operates in Floyd, less than an hour away. 

She lives in a yurt, a portable tent-like structure with felt and wool siding where she makes new and unique products from previously used textiles, among other wares. Check out her site, it's got a lot to offer! 

http://www.mischievouscarrot.com/

A more modern take on the yurt, previously used in the steppes of Central Asia. There's also an oculus in the top's center for stargazing.

There's also homemade tea, coffee, grilled meats, and burgers and other things to raise your cholesterol.  Weekly free concerts are put on in the market square every Wednesday, which I plan on checking out. It's easy for me to forget the culture around here when I'm so consumed with school, and the market's a great little slice of that.

So go if you're here. Talk to people. Ask questions. Threaten some small children with a hand-carved cane. And you might just see me there trying to barter with/for goats or something like that.

Cheers,

Ben