The "A Trip To Root's Market With A Purpose" Story

Root's main market house.  Root's is located near East Petersburg, PA

It was an ordinary day.  Walking through one of the large buildings at Root's Country Market and Auction looking for Grebinger Gallery's new stand.  When I retired from Manheim Township High School as a Technology Education teacher (used to be known as shop, then Industrial Arts), I looked for something to do with my time.  Started immediately working at Grebinger Gallery in Neffsville, PA, the town in which the high school was located.  Owner of the gallery, Keith, had been a student of mine a few years before.  Had him in photography class as well as a member of the photographic corps for the school yearbook which I advised.  

Keith and Cindy's new stand at Root's.  Keith's business is
known as Grebinger Gallery, but he also does 
business as Lancaster Picture Framing.

Wasn't sure how well it would work out taking orders from a former student, but it's been almost 18 years now and we have gained a great relationship over those years.  For quite a few years Keith would have a kiosk at nearby Park City Shopping Mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  He has given that location up due to cost and space allotment and announced to me a few weeks ago that he is opening a stand at nearby Root's.  He does do an art show over Labor Day holiday at Root's, but now will have an indoor stand at the market and auction house.  Well, I thought it was time to make a visit to the market to take a look at his new site.  The site used to have a woman who painted Lancaster County scenes.  The woman, Erma, recently retired at the age of 85.  We knew of her since we would supply her with foamcore to place on the back of her paintings.  Keith found our she was closing and asked if he could have the stand.  

Here Cindy helps a few customers.

Since the stand was meant for art sales, he got the nod.  The stand looks great and he and his wife, Cindy, have made the space look very inviting to shoppers.  Didn't take me long to find the stand and stopped to talk with Cindy who was running the stand.  A few people did stop and admire the work, which by the way are all framed pieces which I have done over the last 17 years.  After spending a few minutes with Cindy I naturally had to buy a few items: 2 cream filled Long Johns (1 chocolate, 1 peanut butter), a pound of chocolate eclair pudding dessert, a pound of chipped turkey breast and 3 slices of macaroni and cheese luncheon meat which I took home to share with the cat.  Did have to stop to see the animal auction building where today they had a few crates of adorable loped-eared rabbits as well as quite a few hundred chickens in crates.  More than one crate did have an egg or two in them after just being laid.  My mission today was complete and I headed home to have a long john before I starved to death.  And, it was delicious; maybe the best part of the day!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.