Weaver’s Farm Market Customer Appreciation Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Weaver’s Farm Market, 1272 East Side Road in Morris. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

MORRIS - Weaver's Farm Market will welcome the community Saturday for its annual Customer Appreciation Day, bringing together local farmers, bakers, crafters and other vendors for a day of food, demonstrations and an opportunity for customers to meet many of the people behind the products sold at the market.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Weaver's Farm Market, 1272 East Side Road in Morris. 

Visitors can expect free tastings and demonstrations, store specials and drawings for several gift certificates, including a $250 grand prize. The market accepts cash or checks, but does not accept credit cards.

Weaver's Farm Market owner Daniel Weaver said Customer Appreciation Day is meant to recognize the people who have supported the family business.

“We appreciate our customers,” Weaver said. “If it wouldn't be for them, we couldn't do it.”

The event has drawn about 2,600 people in recent years and gives the market an opportunity to bring customers, vendors and members of the community together. This year's event will include numerous product samples along with a pulled pork meal, ice cream and local Stagecoach coffee.

The pulled pork meal will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until sold out. It will include baked beans, coleslaw, brownies, apple crisp, ice cream and a drink. A free-will donation will benefit the Morris Amish School New Building Fund and Church Hospital Fund.

Visitors will also find vendors and demonstrations set up around the market. Weaver said a blacksmith and potter will be among those demonstrating their work, along with craft vendors and others. A local emergency squad is also expected to attend to recruit members, and a highway safety presentation focused in part on sharing the road with horse-and-buggy traffic is planned.

Jason Weaver, Weaver's Farm Market deli and grocery buyer and manager, said planning for Customer Appreciation Day begins well before the event. Organizers begin making notes about changes from the previous year and start serious planning around July 1, with vendors typically contacted by the middle of July.

“There's a lot of planning, and we've got to plan ahead a lot,” he said.

Jason Weaver said the market currently buys from at least 50 farmers, bakers and crafters, with much of the produce purchased locally when in season. He said customers frequently comment on the market's service, quality and cleanliness.

Customer Appreciation Day gives shoppers a chance to meet some of the farmers directly. Most of the vendors attending this year's event are local. Some will be offering samples, and others demonstrating how their products are made. For example, maple producers attending the event are the same people who tap the trees and boil the sap themselves. Blacksmith John Patterson of East Marietta is expected to demonstrate his work, while a local potter will work at her wheel. Matthew Weaver of Weaver's Family Farm will also be on hand with produce, including tomatoes and salad greens.

Jason Weaver said a normal summer Saturday can bring 300 to 400 transactions through the market, often representing more than one customer per purchase. Sales have continued to grow since the business opened in 2019, he said.

The market experienced a significant increase in business during the COVID-19 pandemic as shoppers sought alternatives to larger stores. Growth has continued since then, although at a slower pace.

“Our sales have gone up every year,” Jason Weaver said, adding that the number of customers and the amount spent per transaction have grown over the years.

This year's Customer Appreciation Day also comes with something new directly across the road from Weaver's Farm Market. Woodland Garden Center opened this week at the site where the Weaver family previously operated its market while the current store was being developed. The garden center is operated by Benjamin Houston and his wife, Ruthanne, Daniel Weaver's daughter. Although the two businesses complement each other, they will operate separately.

Houston said Woodland Garden Center's current focus is flowers and fall gardening, with mums already arriving and pumpkins, gourds and other seasonal decorations planned as fall approaches.

The business is beginning relatively small this year, but Houston said major additions are planned for next spring, including two greenhouses, bedding plants, hanging baskets, vegetable seeds and a larger selection of gardening supplies.

“We'll have a lot more to offer in the spring,” Houston said.

Houston said he wanted to establish a home business that he and his wife could build over time. Much of the fall merchandise, including pumpkins and decorations, will come from local producers.

He believes the garden center is a natural fit beside the established farm market.

“Flowers go with the market. It's kind of hand in hand,” Houston said.