Cake. In the Park. With Puppies.

And that's only some of what I encountered during my first-ever visit to Wisner Market, which runs every Thursday (through September 22nd) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Wisner Park.

If you'd asked me in the past if I thought Elmira had any sort of farmers' market going on, I might have said that I didn't think it was the type of place you'd find that sort of thing? Au contraire. (Yeah, I'm out to dazzle you all with my foreign language skills in this post. Read on for another stunning foray into a romantic language.) This event is actually celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.

Music by the versatile Pat Kane.

I've driven by Wisner Park a billion times, but never spent any time there, and it's really quite nice with all of the huge trees and the church and the monuments. (I hadn't known what the monuments were for, even, until I got a closer look yesterday; many of them honor Chemung County residents who fought and died in wars.)

In exploring the tents, you can find all sorts of goods. And in the coming weeks, even more vendors are expected, including additional arts and crafts as well as produce:

That's CHOCOLATE shoo-fly pie over on the right. Who knew?



Too-pretty-to-eat-pies, and some peanut butter buns.

An informational tent on River Fest, which is being held tomorrow.

Hold the phone, though. A mammoth is the mascot for River Fest?

Sure is. And because I brake for one-tusked mammoths paddling in a canoe, I hopped on over to the Chemung Valley History Museum to find out what this is all about.

Turns out that the name "Chemung" comes from when the Lenilenape Tribe of the Algonquin Indians discovered the big horn of a mammoth here in 1757. In their language, "Chemung" means "place of the horn." So I'm assuming this mammoth's missing tusk is symbolic of the big horn they found here.

This is excellent, because the plants are clearly grouped by how you need to take care of them.

"Sun Lovers." "Shade Lovers." I've killed four cactuses. I need this type of guidance.



What's also great about Wisner Market is that it provides folks with place to meet and enjoy lunch provided by a number of food vendors.

The Hill Top Inn's taco salad.

Global Gourmet.

 Tamale.

 We'll call this "The Before Picture."

"The After Picture." That's butter, parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.

I had a taco, and it was delicious. And only $2.00.

Express Café was also offering chicken salad and wasabi tuna sandwiches.

And for dessert, Express Café and Bakery made a cake specifically for the market's opening day:

Or you could try some of Global Gourmet's tres leches (Spanish for "three milks" :) cake:

You even pour milk over the top of it.

If you're just looking to snack, there's Italian Ice, carnival-type fare (funnel cake, fried dough or Oreos, pretzels, nachos, fries), and a popcorn vendor as well.

Actually, the popcorn vendor threw me off, because in walking to the park, I had passed by this:

Missing: One red truck.

I didn't know that it was a popcorn truck, or that it actually gets rolled out of there for use.

Apparently, a fella named Frank Romeo, a World War I veteran known for making the "best popcorn in town," started a popcorn business in 1922 with a pushcart. Then he started using this Chevrolet truck from 1930 to 1971. That's a lotta years in the popcorn-making business.

I wasn't aware that a Popcorn Truck Preservation Society existed, but it does, and it played a big role in the restoration and preservation of this one. (It's an interesting story that you can find on the side of the truck's enclosure.)

And while sampling the food, you can also enjoy things like an array of cuter-than-heck puppies.

After stopping by, I was happy to know that this is going to be in full swing for the next few months, and that there will be plenty of opportunities to go visit again.

Elmira Downtown Development, 400 E. Church Street, Elmira, NY 14901

(607) 734-0341, http://www.elmiradowntown.com/, 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elmira-Downtown-Development-Inc/87812274123