Market time again!

The Gloversville Farmers Market opened for the season last weekend, and I'm looking forward to providing the entertainment this coming weekend. Winter gave us a run for our money, but spring has finally arrived, and it’s time for me to dust off the fiddle and rosin up the bow, tune up the banjo, polish the mandolin, clean the crud out of the harmonica, put news strings on the guitar, etc., etc. ...

The market is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, and the musicians typically perform from 9 a.m. to noon. There’s no admission charge, so feel free to bring a lawn chair (or just loiter on your feet) and have a listen. I’ve been playing at the market for years, and it’s always something I look forward to because the people are friendly, and nobody there has ever asked me to play “Freebird,” “Stairway to Heaven” or “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” (In contrast, I have never played a gig at a bar and not been asked to play at least one of those three songs.)

Gary Van Slyke and I first met (and first played music together) at the market. Here's a little snippet of what we sounded like that day (feel free to download this to your iPhone, iPod, iBall or iToaster): "Keep on the Sunny Side.mp3"

Here is the entertainment schedule for the rest of the season at the Gloversville Farmers Market:

May 14: Bill Ackerbauer

May 21: Tommy Van Slyke

May 28: Mike Gowans

June 4: Gary Van Slyke

June 11: The Bentwood Rockers (Bill Ackerbauer and Roland Vinyard)

June 18: Terry Hughes’ Irish Dancers

June 25: Durey Creek

July 2: Gary Van Slyke

July 9: Mike Gowans

July 16: Sandy Shoor

July 23: Mike Gowans

Aug. 6: Gary Van Slyke

Aug. 13: The Bentwood Rockers

Aug. 20: Penny Jar

Aug. 27 — Sandy Shoor

Sept. 3: Gary Van Slyke

Sept. 10: Aaron Mittler

Sept. 17: Street fair with a variety of musical acts, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also note the Johnstown Farmers Market will open for the season May 24. It will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Oct. 11. That market will be in a new location this year — at the Lexington Center parking lot off North Perry Street, near Perry Lanes.

For more information, see Market Manager Curdie Gardner’s blog, "FRESH IDEAS."