The Danville Farmers Market will hold its 2012 Opening Day on Saturday, with fresh produce, baked goods and handmade gifts. Free tomato plants will be offered to the first 800 shoppers.
Market-goers will hear the music of Small Town Orchestra, and the Danville Humane Society will conduct a yard sale.
The farmers market opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at noon.
Located in the Danville Community Market building at 629 Craghead St., the farmers market will be open every Saturday through October. In July and August, the farmers market also will be open on Wednesdays.
Every Saturday, master gardeners are on hand to provide free gardening advice. On the third Saturday of each month, get a free blood pressure check and a body mass index check.
At farmers markets, local farmers, growers and other food producers or vendors come together to sell their products directly to the public.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, direct marketing of farm products through farmers markets continues to be an important sales outlet for agricultural producers nationwide. As of mid-2011, there were 7,175 farmers markets operating throughout the nation. This number is a 17 percent increase from 2010.