Franklin Park Opens a New Farmers Market in Greenbelt

It wasn’t long after I arrived at Franklin Park’s inaugural farmers market on Father’s Day, June 19, that I met the "Pickle Man" and the pickle connoisseur. The "Pickle Man" is George Pardo. As he handed me and Phyllicia Hatton samples of one of his pickle varieties, Kosher dill, he told us he sold “all types of pickles—sweet, hot, sour…and also beets.”

“Smooth taste,” said Hatton, a self-described pickle connoisseur. She is also a connoisseur of vendors like Pardo. Hatton is president of Phenomenal Productions which coordinated the farmers market for Fieldstone Properties, the property management company for Franklin Park at Greenbelt Station, formerly Empirian Village.

Hatton had to organize this farmers market on fairly short notice, which wasn’t that much of a challenge for her, thanks to her huge database of vendors, many from the farmers market she coordinates for American Market in National Harbor, Md. That’s where she got "Pickle Man" Pardo, "BB," "Max the Peach Man," "Big Mama," and the "Necklace Ladies," to name a few of Franklin Park’s vendors.

"BB," Brenda Boyd, traces her connection to Hatton through her brother who is a vendor at National Harbor. As she barbequed chicken and ribs on two barbeque pits in the summer heat, she praised Hatton for encouraging people to follow their dreams and take the big step of striking out on their own as individual vendor businesses. "BB" is the cooking arm of W&B Barbeque, working with Wanda Harper and Harper’s son Christopher, 12, and daughter Jamie, 21.

One example of Hatton's encouragement is Tony McFarland. Tony lives at Franklin Park and operates a snow-cone stand outside a new restaurant in Temple Hills.  When he heard about the farmers market coming to his apartment complex, he asked if he could run a snowcone stand at the market.

Tony and his wife Tisha relaxed in lawn chairs as their sons Aaron, "almost 15" years old, and Noah, 5-years old, served snowcones.  “It’s Father’s Day,” Tony said, “So my sons are doing the work today.” Later, Tony proudly showed off the Ray-Ban polarized sunglasses his mother had just bought him for Father’s Day.

Tisha has her own business selling Carolina honey bun cakes to restaurants and at the National Harbor farmers market.

Despite taking Father's Day off, McFarland, of course, couldn’t help sharing his expertise, advising customers which combination of juices tasted best on the snowcones.

Father’s Day figured in the farmers market in other ways too. One Franklin Park resident was at the pool with his son who was visiting for Father’s Day. They were waiting for his daughter to arrive, when he smelled W&B’s barbeque ribs and chicken and came over for a large take-out order.

You could hardly go anywhere in the market without hearing about "BB's" macaroni and cheese —“It’s the bomb,” said McFarland.

Arthur Bryant, who operates Big Mama’s Blessing Candle Co., earned his Father’s Day rights as well.  He and his wife, Carolyn Mackey Bryant, are grandparents to Collins, of Collin’s Yo-Yo Balloons. Collins sells water-filled balloons on elastic strings for $1 each, at a small stand next to his grandparents’ stand.

Collins is earning money to pay his way to Disneyland for his birthday. Mackey-Bryant, a petite beauty, is not an obvious grandmother and is in no way big, except in heart.  Collins gave her that fond nickname.

Hatton suggested I sample Max Tyson’s sweet peaches.  He also was selling Bing and Rainier cherry varieties—all grown on Tyson’s Farm in West Virginia.  A typical day, Tyson got up at 4 a.m. on Sunday and brought his fresh peaches and cherries to the Franklin Park market, after a 1 ½ hour drive.

Tyson also grows pears, apples and plums, as well as some vegetables and 2,000 to 3,000 tomato plants on his farm, which is a little over 100 acres.

In all there were 11 vendors—to give Collins his due—at the very first Franklin Park farmers market, which will repeat every Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., through October 30.

You can reach the market from Cherrywood Lane by turning left on Springhill Drive — the second left after the street banner that touts the “Old Greenbelt” farmers market and after the recreation center. Then turn left into the parking lot at Lakeside Drive, where cars park for the leasing center, at 6220 Springhill Drive, and the farmers market.

Hatton already has five more vendors signed up for next Sunday — Infinite Vinyl’s handbags and belts, Victorianne Creations’ novelty items, Philadelphia International Trade Co-op’s clothing, Gonzales Produce and Timeless Images’ photographs. And there’s a very good chance that Tyson’s tomatoes will be ready starting Sunday, July 3.