By Mary Stewart | The Selma Times-Journal

The Selma Farmers Market will open for the season bright and early this Saturday at 6 a.m.

Fresh produce will be sold at the market every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday morning.

The market will run from June through November from 6 a.m. until the farmers run out of produce, which usually happens around 2 p.m.

Many farmers have been patiently waiting for the opening of the market, including Margaret Harrison.

“I’m very excited because I’m tired of sitting at home,” Harrison said.

She and her husband have been selling fresh fruits and vegetables for years and always look forward to the time the farmers market opens.

Seven or more farmers will join the Harrisons at the market this year to sell almost any vegetable you can think of.

Customers can expect okra, tomatoes, squash, watermelon, cantaloupes, cucumbers and many more to choose.

The farmers are from all over Dallas and Chilton counties and are ready to prove that fresh is best when it comes to produce.

“[Customers] just get better buys because they are fresh at Bloch Park farmers market,” Harrison said.

Sheryl Smedley, executive director of the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, said the Farmers Market is a great way to not only encourage people to shop local, but also it encourages a healthy lifestyle.

“It is known throughout the Black Belt that we have well-being and health issues, and this is just an initiative to increase awareness of a healthier lifestyle and eating,” she said.

The market will be held under the pavilion at Bloch Park, a location she hopes will inspire customers not only to eat healthy but to get active by using the walking track.

“You can get your fresh vegetables and fruits, and then take a walk around the track,” she said.

Smedley said that the market is also a place for people in the community to meet each other and catch up with old friends.