Farm-City ladies lunch celebrated

Coffee County Farm-City Week organizer Pat Presley smiled as she scanned the capacity crowd attending the Coffee County Farm-City Ladies Luncheon. “I believe this is the largest crowd ever,” she said, welcoming the women to the annual event held at the county farm center building in New Brockton Thursday, Oct. 15. “We’re so thrilled to have this crowd this morning.”

Farm-City activities have been celebrated nationwide for years, Presley said. In Coffee County, Enterprise entrepreneur Yancey Parker and farmer Martin Moates initiated the event.

Parker and Moates modeled the Coffee County Farm City Week after visiting events in other counties, Presley explained. “They decided it would be a good thing for Coffee County to do so they started the first Farm-City committee.

The ladies lunch is at least 15 years old, Presley said. The ladies-only event is just part of Coffee County’s year-around celebration of the relationship between city businesses, farmers and the military stationed at nearby Fort Rucker, the longtime committee member said.

“We include people from rural and urban communities and the military community,” she said. “We plan activities to show how each group can work together, how we depend on each other, how we all work together to survive.”

Presley said the 2015 Coffee County Farm-City activities started April 24 with the Real McCoy’s Luncheon. “That is an event for people 65 years or older to meet together for lunch and swap stories about how they operated years ago,” Presley said. “That is a really fun time.”

On May 5, the Farm-City group went on an agriculture tour of Mercer Livestock and Chris Cain’s horse farm. “They even got Miss Pat rooked into getting on a horse,” she added, smiling at the memory.

A petting zoo was held Sept. 15 and 16, Presley said. “We had about 1,200 kindergarteners from Coffee County get the opportunity to see baby chicks, turkeys and pigs. “They loved the baby chicks,” she added, crediting the Coffee County Master Gardeners for their assistance in the success of the annual event.

Everyone is invited to “Pumpkins on the Square” in Elba Oct. 29, Presley said. “The Farm-City committee gives out six bushels of boiled peanuts there, and our booth is usually the first one to run out.”

Presley said that Nov. 5 is the Farm-City press conference introducing and honoring the people who have won this year’s farm-city awards.

Farm-City activities culminate with the Coffee County Farm-City Banquet to be held Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. at the New Brockton Farm Center.

Tickets can be purchased at Yancey Parker’s in Enterprise, the Coffee County Extension office in New Brockton or from any Farm-City committee member.

The cost of the tickets is $10 per person and includes a meal and entertainment by Pastor Pugh Hopper, also known as Pastor Ed Shirley of Brundidge.

Those attending the ladies’ lunch were treated to two keynote speakers, both shop owners on Main Street in Enterprise: Jackie Cameron of Olive Fruit and Debbie Gaydos of Shopaholic.

Olive Fruit, an olive oil tasting bar and shop, opened Oct. 18, 2014 on Main Street in Enterprise. A New Brockton native, Cameron and her husband, Louis, own the shop that offers “tastings—try before you buy, all day and at no cost.”

Cameron described the olive oils and balsamic vinegars for sale in a variety of bottle sizes. The shop also has all-natural, no cholesterol pastas and an array of spices. “You need to visit downtown Enterprise because we are getting ready to make things happen.”

“We are making things happen in downtown Enterprise,” added Gaydos. The 18-month-old Shopaholic contains an eclectic array of paintings, refurbished furniture and various other unique crafts. Gaydos said the home décor store “merges old and new and a lot of refurbished things. We’re ranging from small gifts to large furniture and garden art.”