Two sure signs of the summer season sprang to life on Thursday morning, May 12 at the Boothbay Common. Under clear blue skies and with shirt sleeve temperatures (finally!), the weekly Farmer’s Market opened and Bet, the Fish Fry Queen, turned on her fryolators.

The Farmer’s Market offered its usual eclectic mix of fresh, locally grown produce, baked goods, plants, flowers, mushrooms, locally raised meat and dairy, cheese, herbal mixtures, homemade crafts, roasted coffee and seafood. With more vendors to arrive as the season continues, the diversity and abundance will only increase.

If you’re looking for something locally grown, raised, crafted, prepared or picked, the Farmer’s Market, held every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon, is the place to shop. It is also a lovely place to walk about on a summer day and see folks you may have missed over the winter. 

On Thursday, crowds were light by mid-summer standards and parking was even available on Common Drive. At Goranson’s Farm stand,  Jan Goranson and Stevie Hale were helping a steady stream of customers attracted to the fresh produce and vegetable seedlings. Hale said business had been steady.

The only distraction from the bucolic scene was the large machinery methodically removing trees behind the Common for the next phase of Boothbay Harbor Country Club.

The Boothbay Planning Board gave the project local approval in March. At the meeting, Knickerbocker Group engineer and Boothbay Harbor Country Club representative Danielle Betts said work at the site would cease for the season by July 4. So this early season noise will be gone (as will many of the trees) by early summer.

Bet opened for business at 11 a.m. and there were a few regular customers waiting for their first mega-dose of Bet’s fried haddock. During Bet’s supper hour (5 to 7 p.m.), lines were long.

But no one was complaining.

We’ve all been waiting a very long time for the Farmer’s Market and Bet to return.