vendors and customers attend the opening of the Farmers Market on Saturday despite the cold weather. The market has been a Lawrence fixture since 1976.

Marilyn Honey, left, and Harold Agnew, both of Lawrence, keep off the cold with blankets Saturday while selling Agnew's bagels at the Farmers Market in the 800 block of New Hampshire Street. The market will run every Saturday morning through the second Saturday in November.

Only two vendors sold fresh greens Saturday, as the Lawrence Farmers Market opened for the first time this season. The weather told the story.

“I think this is the first market where there has been snow in the air,” noted Richard Bean, Baldwin City, who has been selling his goods, including fresh eggs and honey, at the market for 27 years. Slush was on the ground at the opening of last year’s market, Bean said, but Saturday’s light flurries and temperatures in the mid-30s made spring seem a long way off.

“If you’re here, it must mean spring and summer are almost here,” Bean joked.

The market, a Lawrence fixture since 1976, welcomed the season as 21 vendors set up tents and displayed everything from homemade soap, baked goods and emu meat on tables and flatbed trucks. Lawrence Mayor Mike Dever rang the opening bell, as the market got under way at 7 a.m.

Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, market coordinator, said foot traffic was steady throughout the morning.

“Everyone’s excited to see each other,” she said. However, the prolonged winter weather meant that fewer fresh greens were available.

“They’re about 10 to 14 days behind,” Taylor-Puckett said. “But it’s much better than last year when we had that hard freeze and lost all the tree fruit.”

Lawrence resident Natalya Lowther was selling spinach, herbs and other products from her Pinwheel Farm.

“It seems a little slow, and I’m hearing that from other farmers, as well,” Lowther said. “The end of February, the ground was still frozen from December.”

However, she said, “I think it’s going to be a great year. It seems like everyone is excited to be here in between shivers.”

Sally Cornelison, of Lawrence, said she has been a regular customer at the market since she moved here in 2002.

“I like buying local; I like the quality,” she said. “Nothing beats buying corn off the back of a truck.”

The market is featuring several new elements this year. Taylor-Puckett said the market is debuting a new trailer that can be used for storing goods and for chef demonstrations. July’s Tasting Tomatoes event will include ranking sheets for the first time, so that customers can find the freshest and best tomatoes.