MIKE PIRTLE, Post Publisher
Posted: Sunday, June 7, 2009 7:41 am

The new farmers market pavilion at the John Rice Boulevard agriculture complex will be shown to the public in an open house today from 2-4 p.m.

But, the big day is Friday when the Rutherford County farmers’ market officially opens for a new season.

Yeeeeeehaw.

I’m kinda partial to fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables.

On market days the place actually smells fresh, probably from all the oxygen given off by the baskets, boxes and pyramids of fresh greens, onions, fruits and vegetables.

And, that’s not even factoring in the nirvana emanating from the baked good vendors, especially the lady that sells fried pies that would make you smack your momma. I just try not to go near. I’m not supposed to eat sweets and, goodness gracious, they wail at your sense of smell like the Sirens calling out to Ulysses and his crew.

After years and years in the Cannonsburgh Pavilion on Front Street, the market relocates to the much larger new facility, allowing among other benefits the accommodation of many more visitors.

In the past as the season developed, as many vendors would be outside the Cannonsburgh shelter as under it.


The new facility fixes that problem when the new selling season opens Friday at 6 a.m. and then runs every Tuesday and Friday 6-11 a.m. until October.

Personally, I will miss the Cannonsburgh facility because it was just a tiny detour from my route between home and the office. And, the John Rice site is probably less centrally located for a lot of people. But, location is always an issue.

What I will really miss are the night-before purchases.

I figured out a few years ago by chance that some vendors set up at Cannonsburgh the night before the market in order to secure a good location.

Most of them would sell to you Monday or Thursday night, including three or four of my favorites area vendors.

So, on the way home in the evening I would stop by and get first pick so to speak, and also have the fruits (and veggies) of my efforts with me on the way home and not something to be dealt with some way at the office.

But, hey, whatever it takes I'm getting me some lettuce, onions, whatever is available come Friday.

And, I plan to pester all the vendors with the most compelling of questions, "When you going to have homegrown tomatoes?"

•••

Has Vince Young done a huge amount of film studying and special work since last season so he actually knows what to do with the football when he takes a snap in an NFL game?

Has he been working on his passing so he can actually throw the football to a running receiver, not to his feet, behind him or four feet over his head?

Cause if he hasn’t done both of those things what in the heck is he doing saying if he can’t start for the Titans he wants to go somewhere else as a starter?

Where?

Young’s body of work can’t put him at the front of the line with any team in the league.

He faces two paths: 1) Continue to think incorrectly the physical skills he possesses can bring success in the pros and never be a factor in the NFL like so, so many others (think Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, etc., etc.; or 2) Recognize the complexity of pro football and the gigantic mental effort off the field necessary to even have a chance at success.

Titans’ fans would love for him to follow #2 but fewer and fewer expect it ever to happen.
•••
Rutherford County schools are apparently going to be checking that parents of enrolling children have county wheel tax tags.

Good.

People avoiding paying the wheel tax need to realize they are pushing an extra burden on those of us who do pay them.

They aren’t cheating the government; they’re cheating us who are paying the school bills.