"We want the greater community to know about us," said Steve Heydt, greenhouse manager with Garden Spot Village (GSV). "We like to extend the knowledge of what we're growing here to our outer community."

"It's a nice way to invite the community to see the greenhouse," added Colleen Musselman, director of life enrichment with GSV.

Heydt and Musselman have teamed up to organize the second maker's market event, called "Fifth Friday at the Greenhouse," for Friday, Sept. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the GSV aeroponic greenhouse, 448 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland. The event will feature a number of crafters, food trucks, and entertainment by a strolling minstrel, along with a chance to see the 24 towers at the greenhouse and learn how the undertaking supplies food to GSV and beyond.

"We line the walkways with crafters, leaving plenty of space for people to visit (them)," explained Musselman, who added that canopies willbe placed outside for other crafters. According to Musselman, the variety of crafters present will include those working with stained glass, fabrics, and jewelry. Paintings, customized mugs, Christmas ornaments, and other seasonal crafts will also be offered for sale.

"We had a great turnout last year with more than 100 visitors," noted Heydt.

Heydt oversees the greenhouse, which produces vegetables that include six varieties of lettuce, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and edible flowers. "All our produce is harvested three times a week by volunteer residents and used locally," said Heydt, who added that residents, especially those who gardened in the past, enjoy the greenhouse tremendously. "It's really nice in the winter when it's 65 degrees in here," he added. Everything that's harvested is used locally, first by GSV kitchens. About 30 pounds of lettuce a month is donated to CrossNet Ministries Food and Nutrition Center, and a local restaurant purchases up to 12 pounds weekly. Heydt said that the greenhouse can grow more than 250 plants at a time. "We don't grow them all at once, though," Heydt said. "We grow them in stages." Heydt stated that the greenhouse allows vegetables to go from seed to plant in six to eight weeks.

Mussleman and Heydt collaborated on organizing the maker's market after Heydt noted that a sister greenhouse in New Jersey - constructed by the same builder - had posted a craft show event on its Facebook page, and he liked the idea. He suggested it to Musselman, who had been looking for opportunities to organize fifth Friday events at GSV with hopes that the celebrations would spread to New Holland. "We looked at the calendar and saw there was a fifth Friday in September," recalled Heydt.

Readers who would like more information about GSV may visit http://www.gardenspotvillage.org.