Kurt Krahnke goes for the pumpkin bread. Celesta Prop's friend goes for the spinach. Julia Johnson goes for the people.

Whether it's for the fresh produce or for the friendship, crowds of people take time Friday afternoons from the warm days of June through the brisk days of early November to shop the farmers market on Locust Lane.

"We've made some nice friends. It's almost like family," said Johnson, who sells dressings and vinegars with her husband Leon.

Some vendors from the Central Pennsylvania Farmers Market Association -- the group that organizes the market -- have participated for more than a decade.

Bill McNitt, owner of McNitt Fruit Farms in Milroy, has sold his produce at the farmers market for about 17 years.

"It takes a while for a market like this to get established," McNitt said. "People have to know what you're like."

Susan Eby of Milroy has helped sell McNitt produce for 10 years.

"The atmosphere is real nice," she said. "The peaches are always a hit."

McNitt said that fruit sent to supermarkets doesn't reach people as fresh as it does at the farmers market.

"It's hard to buy peaches that are picked the day before we come to market," McNitt said.

He added that last Friday was probably the end of the peach season. But "cool weather brings the apples, and we sell cider," Eby said.

Chuck Mothersbaugh owns a farm in Spring Mills and has sold his produce at the market since about 1976.

"We've had about the same crowd this year as in other years," Mothersbaugh said. "Last year was dry and we didn't have much product; this year we have a good supply."

Mothersbaugh specializes in Oriental and Western vegetables such as Chinese cabbage.

"There's a large number of Oriental people here; I supply what they can't get at supermarkets," Mothersbaugh said. "There's a lot of satisfaction in selling a product to customers. Sometimes they'll say, 'Oh, this is nicer than what's in China.' "

And students also appreciate the fresh produce.

Celesta Prop (junior-education) came with a friend who bought a big bag of spinach.

"It's really cool! We've walked past it a couple times and just stopped by. We'll definitely be back for more," Prop said.

Kurt Krahnke (sophomore-business), who attended with a group of friends, said "I buy my fruits and I buy my lady flowers."

But Krahnke likes the pumpkin bread best.

"You only get that once in a while; it's a delicacy," he said.

Not all of the vendors come from big farms.

For Julia and Leon Johnson of Coral Acres, growing produce is a hobby.

"I like to work in the herb gardens and we make dressings and vinegar," Julia Johnson said.

"(Leon) does a nice job of growing (Italian garlic). That's his forte," she said.

Dan Brigham, owner of Elk Creek Fisheries, raises trout in a raceway near Millheim.

"I've been coming (to the farmer's market) for about eight years," Brigham said. "I catch the fish the morning of the market."

Brigham also sells chicken, live trout and smoked trout spread.

"I have a lot of regular customers," he said.

Making honey and maple syrup has kept Don Martin of Millheim and Garth Benton of Spring Mills busy for about 16 years.

"We've been selling it at the farmer's market for six or seven years," Martin said.

But there is more to the bees than their honey.

Bee serum, consisting merely of the bee venom, is used to build up an individual's tolerance against bee stings, Martin said. The injection process was discovered by Benton's father Allen, Martin said.

"People call us to remove their hornet's nests," Martin said. "We take them down, freeze the bees and separate the males from the females. Then we take them down to the lab in Spring Mills."

The researchers take the female bees and "pull out their rear ends, so to speak," Benton said.

Out comes a clear sack "just like a little, round ball to further produce anti-serum," Martin said.

The sacks are ground up and the venom is freeze-dried into a powder, which is sold to parent companies, Benton said.

"We've purified it; they have to sterilize it," Benton added.

The powder is then sent to doctors who "change it into a liquid and inject it into a person."

Bee stings are no longer a problem for people who use the treatment, Benton said.

So whether you want to buy fruit, flowers, bread or have a bee's nest removed, the farmer's market may be a place to shop.

Michele Scott (sophomore-political science) liked the fact that everything is grown naturally.

"I think you get so much more for your money," Scott said.