On a recent Saturday, members of the News of Davidson editorial board hosted a table at the Davidson Farmers’ Market to introduce our website, a new guy in town.

We arrived at half past seven to set up, part of the early morning flurry of vendors and Farmers’ Market volunteers. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and we were ready to go when the opening bell rang at eight. And so were the shoppers. How is it possible that so many people are out that early on a Saturday morning? But there they were, with their reusable sacks and pull-along carts, finding the perfect heirloom tomatoes, the summer’s last batch of corn.

The fragrance of coffee mixed with freshly baked breads and pastries, waked us up to greet those who stopped by to chat about the site, hear about the project, and encourage us to keep at it. Some took our flyers, others became donors on the spot.

Tall trees with their summer growth of leaves shaded us and dappled the grass with flickering light, as people moved by at a leisurely pace, laughing and talking. There’s nothing frenetic about the market, just a sweet ebb and flow, neighbors catching up, children hopping along, cookie in hand. Blue grass tunes filled the air and lush bouquets filled the shoppers’ arms.

I felt peace. Peace. Such a rare gift in this worrisome world.

The morning sped by. Before we knew it, farmers were taking down their stands and folding tables to tuck away for the next Saturday’s market. Volunteers came by to make sure we could manage our little corner’s clean-up.

That Saturday morning simply brimmed with kindness, from old friends to complete strangers. Nothing random about it, but it seemed surprising nonetheless. It all seemed easy, but it took years of work and planning and organizing to make the market such a happy success. It took vision, from the first days when a few folks asked if they could use the land beside Town Hall to create our very own farmers’ market. It took optimism. They weren’t quite sure how it would work, but they knew that the time was now and the place was perfect.

How lucky for us that they were right.