July 23 – AMNICON CITY – On the road between the villages of Poplar and Lake Nebagamon, a farmers market brings people together every Tuesday at the Gravel Pit Tavern on County Road P.
“It’s a lot of fun, you know, and it’s been a great way for us new to the community to meet people,” said Jill Burke of Brule, which sells smoked pistachios. “Everyone is kind of connected and it happens, I just can’t say enough about it. It’s just amazing.”
She started her brand Jill’s Nuts with one mission: to buy her husband Pat a tractor. Her first day at the Gravel Pit Farmers Market was June 6, and she enjoys the Tuesday gatherings.
“Sell some nuts, have fun with the girls. You know it’s great. It gets you out of the house, gets some fresh air, and so far it’s been perfect every week,” Burke said.
For Arianna Silverness of Maple, a fourth-generation farmer, running the Silver and Sage stand is a chance to reconnect with her roots.
“Farming makes me happy,” said Silverness, whose booth on Tuesday offered pasture-raised pork, laser-etched cups, custom T-shirts, maple syrup, apple butter and beeswax lip balm.
She and her husband Devon have three children, two dogs, four ducks, eight pigs and 37 chickens on their 20-acre farm.
“It’s a lot of work, but at the end of the day, you know, I feel good about what I did,” Silverness said.
This is the first year she has sold produce at the Gravel Pit Tavern market, which is open from 2pm to 6pm every Tuesday.
“It’s been really cool to meet all these women and see the different things they have and, you know, some of them have been in the business for years, so it’s just learning from them. always very good,” said Silverness.
For retired sisters Robin and Penny Barrett of Barrett’s Farm, growing produce from their garden and selling it is something fun to do. Her parents sold produce at the Superior Farmers Market for years.
“We thought about it and thought well, sure, why not give it a try and we’ll finally start having some garden stuff,” said Robin Barrett of Solon Springs.
They started by selling perennials and baked goods. On July 16, his stock included fresh raspberries, chives and molasses cookies. As the season progresses, they add potatoes, tomatoes, beets and other vegetables to their stand.
New food truck
The South Ranger food truck served tacos, mozzarella sticks, fries and a bluegill sandwich at the Gravel Pit Tavern during the July 16 market. Owned by Katie and Larry Harness of South Range, the new business aims to deliver great food at an affordable price.
The eclectic menu includes a supper club feel. Katie Harness spent five years cooking at Eddie’s Supper Club under former owner Dina Ryan. Now Ryan works for the South Ranger.
“I fell in love with nightclubs and cooking and really the customers around here are the best,” Harness said.
When initial plans for a brick-and-mortar restaurant didn’t pan out, Harness decided to take his signature recipes on the road. The first event was at the KG Fireworks Warehouse in Amnicon City the week of July 4th.
“We miss cooking and our customers and we really want to represent the Wisconsin side and use Wisconsin food by making specialty fries and Wisconsin cheese,” Harness said.
Market vendors called South Ranger’s fare “amazing.”
“We tried their fries, their potato wedges, amazing,” Silverness said. “My kids and I sat down and ate the entire basket in a few minutes.”
Local shopping
The farm, food and crafts market launched last year under new Gravel Pit Tavern owners Dede and Troy Paquette of Barnes.
“My husband always wanted a bar and a restaurant,” Dede Paquette said, and the chance to own the bar came at a good time for them.
The Tuesday market and food truck bring the community together and offer visitors a food option until the Paquettes can add a kitchen to the tavern.
“We just like to do activities that are fun for a lot of different types of people, so we try to bring together young and old, everyone, because this community is very tight-knit,” Paquette said.
Terri Nelson of Highland has been offering jams, jellies and preserved foods at the farmers market since July 2023.
“I came here just to shop and they convinced me to come back and sell,” she said.
She has since launched a weekly farmers market at the Solon Springs Mercantile that includes many of the same vendors. Open from 1pm to 5pm on Thursdays at the Solon Springs Mercantile.
People are encouraged to stop by to shop and socialize.
“You are supporting a family business that grew from the ground up. It was grown in Maple, it was grown in Solon, it was grown in Brule,” Silverness said.
Visit the
Gravel Pit Tavern Facebook Page
for more information about your market. Visit
the South Ranger Facebook page
for more information about the new food truck.
