Quartet performs for market

Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 25, 2015

Mark Snider, Berry Weaver, Bob Houston and Bob Joseph, pictured left to right, are the Scioto Ridge Boys.

Mark Snider, Berry Weaver, Bob Houston and Bob Joseph, pictured left to right, are the Scioto Ridge Boys.

As vendors at the Ironton Farmers Market got warm eating the homemade potato and ham soup fellow vendor Tammy Hanshaw brought to share, Depot Square was filled with the harmonies of Gospel music.

Or as the tenor for the Scioto Ridge Boys told the audience, “This will be good Jesus music.”

Music was the order of the day for the next to last weekend for the season of the farmers market, just finishing up its third year at Depot Square.

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Market manager Sam Heighton brought the quartet to entertain on Saturday because he and member Bob Houston have been longtime friends.

“I have known him all my life,” Heighton said. “He was raised here.”

Houston and his brothers used to perform in the area.

Heighton had for a long time wanted to have them perform in Ironton and on a drizzly Saturday got his wish.

“It brings new people down here,” Heighton said. “I have been seeing several new faces today.”

Repertoire ranged from “Amazing Grace” to Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light.”

“Camp meetings had a lot of these old songs,” Houston told the crowd. “And we’re going to sing them.”

As they did the audience sang along.

Saturday was the last time for the season for vendor Becky Wiseman, who brings her homemade sweet breads, jams, jelly, brown eggs and produce to the market.

“It’s been a wonderful season,” Wiseman said. “People want home grown produce. That is what’s on my table.”

Hanshaw agreed,

“It’s been a pretty good season,” she said.