There’s nothing better than a bustling farmers’ market at the peak of harvest season! Vendor booths spill over with a bountiful array of luscious fruits and vegetables and tables burst with vivid colors, fresh yellow and white sweet corn straight from the farm, deep purple beets, and ripe red tomatoes. Large watermelons tempt you to take them home and slice them open. The heavenly smell of baking bread mixes with the tantalizing aroma of smoked barbecue. There are rounds of cheese in every imaginable variety and fresh meats to choose from, including decadent bacon and sausage. Families walk together, stopping at the booths, pushing strollers and carrying bags of tasty treats. The Davison Farmers’ Market is just brimming with the sights, sounds, tastes and smell of fall. Located at the corner of Irish Road and Court Street, the newly opened market is home to over 70 vendors. My City Magazine stopped by to chat with Market Manager Sandy Coykendall.

Brian Wiltse, a freshman at Powers Catholic School, is not an average teenager. Since he was in the second grade, he’s been selling pumpkins and saving the money he earns from the sales for his college education. But he doesn’t just sell the pumpkins; he helps rototill the field, purchase the pumpkin seeds and does the planting. While his friends are swimming in the lake or golfing at the local course, Brian is out weeding and fertilizing his two-acre pumpkin patch, or tending the two bee hives that pollinate the pumpkin flowers. The son of Karen and Mike Wiltse, a nurse practitioner at Hurley and a teacher at Lapeer Middle School respectively, Brian will grow and sell 2,000 pumpkins this year. He sells them wholesale to Wojo’s Greenhouse in Davison and from a pumpkin stand in front of the Wiltse’s 140-

“…for many of us, the world would be a poorer place without bears. We keep bears because they are a part of nature and because of what they do for the human mind, body, and soul.” –Steve Herrero

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 profoundly impacted the lives of many people all around the world, and for Thomas and Darlene Gerding of Davison, it was life-changing. That day, the couple decided that a sense of community was the most important thing in life, and they committed to a career change. “It was that attack that prompted us to take a look at our lives and go in another direction,” said Thomas, a former deejay and owner of Tommie G’s Entertainment. Within ten short months, Thomas took the expertise and skill he had learned years ago from working at the family-owned-and-operated Gerding Packing Company, and he and Darlene opened Davison Bacon & Sausage Works on July 11, 2002. The business, located on Lapeer Road, provides the finest meats and many other all-natural, local foods to the community of Davison and the surrounding area. A little emotional about it, Thomas said it seemed meant to be that My City Magazine interviewed the couple on September 11, 2014.

A game to watch and good food on the menu is what you’ll find at the recently opened MD’s Sports Tavern & Grill in Davison. Brothers Marty and Doug Madden, owners of longtime local watering hole Madden’s Lounge, were looking to pursue a new venture, and when Player’s Inn closed, the two saw their opportunity. Their dream was to open a sports bar that offered casual dining and great food, along with banquet facilities. What could be more perfect than to bring that dream to fruition in a location that was a Davison dining institution for over 100 years? “We took an abandoned building and created 50 jobs!” exclaimed Marty. Completely remodeled, the building maintains a rustic and casual atmosphere. The Maddens were ecstatic that they were able to hire Chef Pat Smith, formerly the chef at Ma’s and Pa’s. “Pat’s done a great job,” boasts Marty.