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Farmers market serves up hot appetizers on the side
By SEAN BARRON
YOUNGSTOWN
Most people who visited a local farmers market Saturday took home tomatoes and other vegetables, but Travis Fessler had an appetite for fire and swords.
After consuming both, it was time to lie down — on a bed of rusty nails.
Those were the main ingredients that made up the entertainment portion of Saturday’s Northside Farmers Market gathering at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1105 Elm St., on the city’s North Side.
Fessler and his 20-year-old brother, Erik Kloeker, both of Florence, Ky., make up The Pickled Brothers, a Cincinnati-based circus sideshow. During their performances, Fessler and Kloeker typically lie on rows of nails, eat glass, escape from straitjackets and do numerous other acts of skill and pain resistance.
Swallowing a sword and fire on torches; juggling on several occasions a machete, an ax, a mace, several balls and lighted torches; and stretching out on roughly 1,000 nails on two boards with someone standing on Fessler and Kloeker were the main items on the entertainment menu for those at the farmers market.
Fessler set a world record by placing 11 Madagascar cockroaches in his mouth for 10 seconds, something that landed him a spot on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
Kloeker set a record in May for the longest amount of time suspended while juggling three objects upside-down (5 minutes, 45 seconds).
Among those who enjoyed the unusual show were Audra Carlson, her husband, Jason, and their three children, Magdelene, Gwenyth and Davin, 4, 8 and 13, respectively.
“They’re hilarious and lots of fun,” said Audra Carlson of Liberty, a Unitarian Church member and supporter of local agricultural efforts.
The sword-swallowing portion was a favorite of 8-year-old Rebecca Horn, a student at E.J. Blott Elementary School in Liberty and Carlson family friend.
The three-hour market featured an estimated 15 vendors who sold plenty of vegetables such as tomatoes, ears of corn, garlic braids, green beans, jalapeno peppers and leeks, as well as basil, chard, sage and oregano plants. Also for sale were hot peppers in jars, various breads, kitchen utensils and new and used books.
Also part of the gathering was a meeting with several local businesspeople to discuss starting a shared-use kitchen incubator in the former Penguin Pub building, 901 Elm, to be patterned after the Youngstown Business Incubator. It is to provide space, equipment, training and support for the startup and growth of food-related businesses, organizers say.
The incubator would provide the food entrepreneurs with a certified kitchen where value-added products, including breads, jellies and pasta, would be produced for marketing. It’s also expected to create green jobs, increase area farmers’ sales and make fresh foods more readily available.
The project has received grants of $12,500 and $20,000 from the Youngstown Foundation and Community Development Financial Fund, respectively.
“The purpose [of the farmers market] is to create a place where city residents get together for positive experiences and buy fresh local food,” explained Jim Converse, Northside Market manager.
The 7-year-old event continues to grow each year, noted Converse, adding that the outdoor market also is intended to create a deeper connection with area neighborhoods.
The Pickled Brothers also were the main attraction during a fundraiser Saturday evening at a church in Lowellville to benefit Youngstown State University students leaving on an 18-day trip in December to China.
The students will receive class credit to study the geology, culture and history of China, noted Dr. Raymond E. Beiersdorfer, a YSU geology and environmental- sciences professor.