Webb City Sentinel column - 9/18/09

It’s fall and things should be slowing down – but they’re not in the least. We’ve added a new baker to the market. Our long time baker, Kay McLaughlin, has cut down to Fridays only so our Tuesday customers were facing the dire prospect of weight loss. Never fear. We have found a Tuesday baker that will enable you to face winter well fed. Lorraine Yoder had her first market this week and, my oh my, we’re going to like her baked goods. Her table was stacked high with sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies, cakes and country breads.

Like all our bakers, Lorraine bakes in a kitchen certified by the health department. In her case, that’s the kitchen of the Country Cupboard and Bake Shoppe just outside of Stark City. The shop is closed on Mondays so she has full use of the kitchen. (She is also in the kitchen on the other days, but then she is baking for the Shoppe.)

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the Arts in the Park celebration. The market will be in the thick of things with all our usual vendors, plus Countrside View Greenhouse, bringing a big trailer of mums, and the kids at Fredrickson Farms with pansies, pumpkins and produce.

During market we’ll have lots of different music groups, plus a little sword-fighting and Shakespeare. There will be the market breakfast, as well, which will benefit the new Friends of the Webb City Parks (more about them later. BTW, that's the new Webb City Parks and Recreation Department logo).

At noon we’ll transition into full blown Arts in the Park. Several of our vendors will stay for the full day. Amos Apiaries will have honey and do spinning demonstrations on the peddle-driven spinning wheel. Countryside will stay till all the mums are sold. We’ll also have Linda Williams with her hand-crafted aprons and Randi Bachman with her rag rugs.

There will be kids’ art activities all day and children’s workshops in the afternoon. Area artists will be painting, singing and dancing. You’ll find familiar food – hot dogs, smoked sausages and hamburgers from 11 to 6:30 at the food stand, along with snacks like apples and caramel dip, popcorn and nachos.

And, with the exception of any food or art you purchase, the whole thing is free thanks to generous grants from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, MSSU, Chris Anderson and Sharon Love of Edward Jones, and local artist Rebecca Perry.

Now, about Friends of the Webb City Parks. It’s an organization for folks who appreciate the parks and want to know what’s going on. Members will be on an email or mailing list and receive quarterly information on the parks. For $5, you’re a member of the Friends for one year, you get a free drink at the celebration, you get $5 off your next meal at Chatters and you’re entered in the celebration drawings. The drawings include a basket of goodies from the market, as well as prizes from Wal-Mart, Culvers, Hinkley Ace Hardware and Cardinal Scale. What a deal!

Lunch today is spaghetti, side salad, garlic bread, brownies & drink for $6. The lovely Gospel Strings play between 11 and 1.

On Tuesday, Cooking for a Cause benefits the Chief Sarcoxie Days Committee and Bill Adkins performs from 11 to 1.

Be sure to wave at Suzie and Sammy Scarecrow as you come in off the highway – they’re the ones playing the fiddle and painting a picture beside the Arts in the Park banner.