A Tomato Grows in Brooklyn

Saturday, 15 Aug 09: I arrived in Brooklyn in the afternoon, just in time to meet with the Public Programs Curator at the Weeksville Heritage Center. She was kind enough to spend an hour with me answering my questions (thank you!). Unfortunately, I missed the farmers market which runs on Saturdays, 9am-2pm, on the grounds of the site. Weeksville is named for James Weeks who purchased the land in 1838. The land was originally settled by former enslaved Africans from the east coast, in the 1830s following the abolition of slavery in New York State. The site consists of the Hunterfly Road Houses, a collection of houses that were a part of the town, as well as a vegetable garden. The houses are designated as New York City landmarks and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


New York City has such an interesting blend of architectural styles - the past is juxtaposed with the present. Case in point, Weeksville is across the street from a housing development. It is also located in East Brooklyn, the most economically deprived area of NYC. Thus, having a farmers market and a site connected to the past is such a beautiful asset for the community. Wouldn't you like to walk across the street from your home to get fresh vegetables and see a tomato grow on a vine everyday?  Or look out your window and see a relic of the past?


As I took pictures of the site, I met the Farmers Market Manager. Earlier in the year I went to a farmers market workshop at the National Main Street Center National Conference in Chicago. During one of the workshops, I learned about how to start a farmers market and gained a new respect for the market manager. It was so nice meeting her. From our short meeting I gathered a sense of her pride and enthusiasm for what she does. As this trip proved to me, people of all walks of life are involved in so many things - never judge a book by its cover, eh? The manager looked just like me. As we said farewell, she hopped on her blue, vintage Schwinn and waved farewell.

After I saw Weeksville, I walked one block from the site to a park where I watched a basketball tournament. I enjoyed listening to the game, watching a proud mom root for her son, and watching kids playing in this amazing water sprayer : ) I admit, it was hot, and I enjoyed the mist too!