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By Bill McCann

Contributing Writer

Clark County residents “vegged” over the weekend.

Veggie Fest, sponsored by the Winchester/Clark County Farmers’ Market and the Clark County Health Department, was held this past Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon on Depot Street.

“Veggie Fest is an attempt to get adults to try more fresh raw veggies and to help children see that fresh raw veggies can be fun, too,” said Clark County Public Health Director Becky Kissick.

To accomplish that goal, attendees were offered vouches – worth $5 – that were called veggie bucks. The novelty currency could be used to purchase fresh vegetables at the market, along with free cookbooks and earn a chance to enter a drawing for baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables.

For the youngsters, the costumed “Veggie Girl” was on hand to greet them near the Main St. entrance to the market. Vegetable sculptures were also part of the fun for several children.

Besides the health department cookbook, many vendors had recipe cards available to encourage shoppers to buy and try vegetables that were foreign to them. And to make the purchases cheaper, veggie bucks were denominated in $1.00 amounts, which meant the first 100 customers at the market could try unfamiliar vegetables at a lower price. Some of the most popular choices included one-dollar squash, two-dollar zucchinis and inexpensive broccoli.

Attendees could also find the usual farmers’ market items for sale on Saturday, including flowers, wine, honey, and different types of meat.

Available to anyone who attended Veggie Fest were passports with the names and trade symbols of the participating farms or producers, including Staton Ridge Farms, Backcountry Baking. Co., Fink Meats, Kentucky Wood Work, My Father’s Garden, Lopez Farm Fresh Eggs, Honey Dew Apiary & Double Barrel Honey, R&S Lean Meats, Creative Coffees Roastery, Hillside Heights Farms, Shear Away Farms, and Till Later Acres.

Customers who had five vendors stamped their passports were eligible to be put into a drawing for one of three gift baskets.

Kissick said she is hopeful that Veggie Fest will become an annual event