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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; It was like opening day for summer and the city&#8217;s downtown all rolled into one, as Public Square came alive on the first day of the 44th annual Farmers Market.</p><p>About 24 children just out of kindergarten were sitting in the shade of a huge oak tree Thursday drinking Icee frozen drinks.</p><p>All around the children and that oak tree, the first Farmers Market of 2017 was under way with farmers, craft vendors, food trucks and people &#8212; lots and lots of people &#8212; milling about.</p><p>The market will run every Thursday until November. A second day &#8212; Mondays at the Market &#8212; will begin July 10.</p><p>The kids were brought to the market by their Wilkes-Barre CYC camp counselors. Jenna Nitowski, a college student from Duryea, is one of the counselors and said the kids love the market experience.</p><p>&#8220;We try to make it an educational day, but all they really want is candy,&#8221; Nitowski said.</p><p>She said three gentlemen walking by asked where the children were from, then donated $25 to buy the kids their Icees.</p><p>&#8220;We usually let them get whatever they want,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But this was really nice. They all wanted Icees.&#8221;</p><p>Not far away, Lothaine Stefanides was sitting on a bench with her friend. She had a shopping bag filled with produce and other items.</p><p>&#8220;What I really came for was the butter lettuce from Rowlands Farm,&#8221; Stefanides said.&#8221;It&#8217;s grown in water &#8212; no soil.&#8221;</p><p>Bill Banta, owner of Rowlands Farm in Falls Township, said the butter lettuce Stefanides raved about is, indeed, grown hydroponically.</p><p>&#8220;It has a different taste and texture than regular lettuce,&#8221; Banta said.</p><p>Banta was also featuring cucumbers, potatoes, beets and tomatoes &#8212; one of the few stands selling tomatoes this early.</p><p>Larry O&#8217;Malia said his Plains Township farm won&#8217;t have ripe tomatoes until the middle of July. O&#8217;Malia said this is his 43rd year at the market and he couldn&#8217;t be happier with the way Thursday turned out.</p><p>&#8220;We couldn&#8217;t have asked for better weather,&#8221; O&#8217;Malia, 58, said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been coming here with my family since I was a student at Bishop Hoban High School (now Holy Redeemer).&#8221;</p><p>O&#8217;Malia was displaying red and golden beets, kale, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, radishes and beautiful blooming flowers.</p><p>Over near the band shell was a group from Reaching Beyond Limits, a training facility for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. Amy Hartman, owner of the facility on Market Street in Kingston, said about 25 to 30 clients were at the market.</p><p>&#8220;This is one of our favorite activities to do,&#8221; Hartman said. &#8220;We want to support the local farmers and vendors, but this is also a great time for social interaction.&#8221;</p><p>Many of them were enjoying a free milkshake courtesy of the Pennsylvania Dairymen&#8217;s Association.</p><p>&#8220;We like to listen to the entertainment and just hang out,&#8221; Hartman said. &#8220;A lot of our clients like to get some fresh fruit, too.&#8221;</p><p>As the morning pushed on, more and more people were arriving &#8212; many on their lunch break from their downtown jobs. Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, was all smiles as he made his way around Public Square.</p><p>&#8220;The weather sure is cooperating so far,&#8221; Newman said. &#8220;From what I&#8217;ve seen, the farmers are offering a great array of products. This really marks the start of summer.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jonathan, 6, Angelique, 10, Abraham, 1, and their dad, Marcos Hernandez, enjoy apples at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market on opening day Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL063017market1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jonathan, 6, Angelique, 10, Abraham, 1, and their dad, Marcos Hernandez, enjoy apples at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market on opening day Thursday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL063017market2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A customer looks for flowers for her front yard at the first Farmers Market of the year on Public Square. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL063017market2-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>A customer looks for flowers for her front yard at the first Farmers Market of the year on Public Square. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>WB event gets off to busy start</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

44th Farmers Market opens with sunshine, crafts and food