By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Granville Griffith (right), a beekeeper, talks with Pat Wilson of Erlanger about the honey that he and his granddaughter Kayla Griffith (center) produce. The Griffiths were vendors Thursday at Dixie Farmers Market. The Cincinnati Enquirer/PATRICK REDDY

Janet Isler of Edgewood selects cabbage grown by Dewey Peluso of Chapel Hill Farms in Demossville. Shoppers in the background are Donna Schultz (second from left) of Edgewood and Shelley Knight of Crescent Springs.

Less than an hour after opening their stand at the inaugural Dixie Farmers Market Thursday, Vince and Toni Lovelace of Demossville had sold all of their broccoli and lettuce.

"We really didn't know what to expect,'' said Toni, as customers filed past her stand in front of the historic Erlanger Railroad Depot. "We got here just before the market opened, and the parking lot was already full.''

Nine Northern Kentucky farmers have agreed to be regular sellers at the Dixie Farmers Market, which will operate on Thursday afternoons through Oct. 28. During the summer and fall, the market will feature more than a dozen fruits and vegetables, including fresh farm eggs, apples, sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and pumpkins.

"It was a lot more than I expected this early in the season,'' said Bob Martin of Florence, as he and his wife, Jo, loaded a bag of tomatoes, cabbage and kale into their trunk.

At Thursday's market, stands with signs boasting "farm fresh'' and "picked today'' featured an assortment of green peppers, beets, tomatoes, green onions, perennials, honey, candles, herbs, cabbage and kale. One grower from Twin Brook Farm in Carroll County even offered green eggs, but no ham.

Veteran grower Dewey Peluso of Pendleton County, who sells more than a dozen varieties of produce at two other markets, described Thursday's steady crowd as "overwhelming'' for a first-time market.

IF YOU GO

What: The Dixie Farmers Market When: 3-6 p.m. Thursdays through Oct. 28 Features: Northern Kentucky farmers will sell more than a dozen varieties of fruits and vegetables. Information: Bob Yoder, Erlanger-Elsmere Renaissance coordinator, at (859) 342-7912; or e-mail him at bob@thedixie.com.

"People are curious,'' said grower Vicky Tewes of Union, who peddled organically grown rhubarb, herbs, perennials, tomato and pepper plants. "We're still a couple of weeks away from most vegetables.''

The market site features restrooms, a gazebo for musical performances on "Market Days,'' playground equipment and a paved parking lot where growers can sell from the backs of pickup trucks or tables in a picnic shelter.

Besides meeting the needs of sellers and consumers, organizers predict the market just off Dixie Highway will generate business for other retailers.

Erlanger and Elsmere have a population of more than 24,000 and the average income in those cities is higher than for Kenton County, Kentucky and the United States, said Bob Yoder, the Erlanger-Elsmere Renaissance coordinator. Also, more than 28,000 vehicles travel Dixie Highway each day.

"I don't see where it would hurt,'' said Steve Naugle, owner of A&N Custom Sports Embroidery in a strip center near the intersection of Dixie and Crescent Avenue. "The more that people see us, the better for us."

Second-generation businessman John Vasseur, who runs Mauri Lou Dry Cleaners on Dixie Highway with his wife, Pauline, also was hopeful.

"It gives the farmers an outlet for their goods,'' Vasseur said. "And I'm sure it's going to give the local economy a little boost.''