In the last few weeks, we've started attending the Hutto Silos Farmers Market, a brand new Sunday market located in the Co-op District.  This is our second round of markets for Hutto - back in 2017 when the market was run by the city and held in the park  I started my market career selling beef for my dad at the City run market held in the park. We rejoined the market as Amber Oaks the following year and began selling our own products at the downtown Hutto market. Over the last five years, Hutto's farmers markets have closed and reopened and changed venue and leadership several times and we’ve moved on, but we’ve always had a fond place in our hearts for Hutto. 

 

So, when a fellow vendor started a new Sunday market in the Co-op district, we were willing to give it another try. Over the last few weeks, the community has come out to support the Hutto Silos Farmers in full force and it’s shaping up to be a great Sunday market for us.  This support was exemplified by the disaster recovery efforts yesterday.

 

At roughly 1 pm a massive ‘dirt devil’ came whipping through the parking lot where the market was being held.  I was set up near the very end of one row conducting business as usual when I felt the wind pick up and heard some shouts. I looked up to see the last two tents on the opposite row take flight, so I reached up to hold my tent in place. Most windy days, that’s all I need to do as we have 150 lb. of weights holding the tent down, but it wasn’t enough this time. This wind seemed to be a small tornado like dust devil and as it ripped past the first row, it turned and tore straight down my row of vendors, taking out around 10 tents and their contents and pushing the whole mess against my tent. Needless to say, there was nothing I could do to hold my tent in place and it went flying along with the two tables not held down by coolers. I was fortunate in that I was not injured and lost only the tent, 1 dozen eggs, and my ipad. Many other vendors lost all the product they had out on display as well as their tents and one customer was injured by a flying tent. It was a stunning display of how unpredictable the weather can be and of the risks we take running our businesses out in the open.

On a positive note, it was also a testament to how tight the vendor community is. Working together, with help from Southside BBQ employees, we had the site cleaned and vendors packed within the hour.

 

A big shout out to the Southside BBQ!  They sent over several of their staff with brooms and supplies to help clean up the broken glass and wash away the jams and sauces that the twister left behind.  They even let us load up their dumpster with the wreckage - twisted tents take up tons of space.

So, if you came by the Hutto Silos Market Sunday during the last hour and didn’t find us ready and waiting to serve you, now you know why.  We promise we’ll be back next week with a new canopy and additional weights along with all your favorite meats, Texas strong!