Rogue Sprinklers Soak Farmers Market Folks

Folks setting up for the La Grange Farmers Market got soaked Saturday morning when the sprinklers on the courthouse lawn came on.

One of the vendors, Vergie Hall, said the sprinklers started gushing about 7 a.m. as vendors were setting up their booths. Hall sells a variety of baked goods at her booth.

“I was fortunate enough that my cakes and stuff were covered in plastic,” she said. “I just had to dry everything off with paper towels.”

Others were not so lucky. Hall said two ladies who sell knitted goods had set up right on top of a sprinkler when it went off.

“If it was a movie, you’d sit there an laugh,” she said. “Bless their hearts, they were soaked.”

“They went home, threw everything in the dryer, changed clothes and came back to set up again,” she said.

Hall said the Farmers Market attracts as many as 12 vendors on a good weekend. Last Saturday, there were six vendors on site.

Hall said she and other vendors contacted county officials Saturday morning, who told them how to turn off the valve. But Hall said the valve was stuck and they were only able to partially close it.

“That got it down to a trickle,” she said.

Steven Svec, who handles courthouse maintenance for the County, said a power outage last week may have affected the sprinkler controller. Svec said he was checking the system this week to ensure it operates correctly.