It was an ordinary day. April 2 and I had just posted a story I had written about Lancaster Central Market vying for a top spot in the "Favorite Public Market in the United States" contest which was sponsored by USA Today. I asked if you could possibly take the time to open the USA Today website and vote a few times for the Lancaster Central Market in downtown Lancaster.
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| Lancaster's Central Market |
You could vote every day until the contest had ended a few days ago. There were a few other choices from Lancaster County with one being the Green Dragon Farmer's Market in nearby Ephrata and Root's Market & Auction near East Petersburg. A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick an initial list of markets in the United States. To have several public markets chosen from Lancaster County was a big accomplishment. Today's Lancaster Sunday News posted the results of the contest in their morning paper. To my pleasant surprise, Lancaster County took two of the top 5 places in USA Today's national competition. That is a remarkable feat for a county that has less than 550,000 people and a total square mile area of less than 950 square miles. I believe the two winners from Lancaster County won because many of you who read my story took the time to vote for one of the couple of Farmer's Markets that are located within the boundaries of Lancaster County. I want to thank every one of you who got online and voted for one of the public markets; in some cases voting more than just one day, which was allowed by the contest.  |
| Ephrata's Green Dragon Farmer's Market |
The market that came in second in the national competition was the Green Dragon Farmers Market and Auction in nearby Ephrata. My brother lives near the market and spends many market days sitting in the auction house selling and buying items he has taken to the market and returning home with others which he puts online sites for sale. The winner of the contest was the West Palm Beach GreenMarket in West Palm Beach, Florida. A bit of history about the Green Dragon Farmer's Market is: It was founded in 1932 and is located at 955 N. State Street in Ephrata Township and is open every Friday, offering produce, baked goods, crafts, furniture and other items. The only market to do better was Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market which claimed the title of Favorite Market in the United States. My choice for winner was naturally Lancaster Central Market in downtown Lancaster which captured fifth place in the competition. Not bad at all! Central Market has been open since 1730 and is the nation's oldest farmer's market. The market is open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and features about 60 vendors. My congratulations go out to Ephrata's Green Dragon Farmers Market. They deserve a top 5 place in the competition just as Lancaster Central Market did. Perhaps both will move up in the rankings next year. I'll be in touch when the completion begins so you can help my choice gain a top spot in the competition. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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