Murphy – The downtown Farmers Market was in full swing Saturday, as some folks came out for local fruits and veggies while others enjoyed the unique crafts that local vendors had on display.
Dennis Harper, a vendor, was busy with folks wanting to know about his handcrafted birdhouses. "My dad was a carpenter. I started thinking about what I could do in retirement,” he said.
Harper doesn't just sell bird houses. If you're troubled by carpenter bees, he's got a variety of bee traps to choose from along with garden boxes that he said are beautiful, functional and adorn deck rails with your flowers, fruits and veggies. For details, call Harper at 828-389-2109.
Tyler Hyatt's a paramedic. However, when he's not rushing to help folks in their time of need, he enjoys propagation.
He had his plants handy for anyone wanting an addition to their own garden. Hyatt was selling a variety of plants, among them butterfly bushes, which attract butterflies and honeybees.
“It's a hobby of mine that I took up a couple of years ago, and it kind of grew into a passion,” he said.
Hyatt takes cuttings and makes new plants from them. Stop by the Farmers Market on Saturdays to see his collection.
Cut Coin Jewelry, owned by Gene Russell, was also at the market. On display was a wide variety of his intricately cut coins, both foreign and U.S.
“I was inspired to start cutting coins after I came across a guy on line who did it for a living. I loved his work,” he said.
Russell taught himself this time-consuming and delicate craft by learning on leftover coins from Navy cruises. His 10 years cutting coins has perfected his skill to create beautiful works of art.
His biggest sellers are the "Walking Liberty" silver half dollar and the "Hummingbird" from a Jamaican quarter. For details, visit GeneInMurphy@frontier.com.
Other vendors offered a variety of items – from soaps, handmade rugs and wood flowers to sweet treats, jams and jellies, coffee and lamb.
The Murphy Farmers Market at the L&N Depot on Valley River Avenue is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and runs through October.