Local farmers market, working farm step into national spotlight

This evening, the internationally acclaimed docuseries Barnwood Builders shares a slice of Washington County with viewers across the globe, as it highlights both the Main Street Farmers Market and The Old Road Farm in season 16, episode 4.

The episode, touted as the one “in which the guys travel to West Alexander, Pa., to save a classic bank barn,” airs at 9 p.m. tonight, March 16, on Magnolia Network, Discovery Channel and Great American Country, and anywhere those channels stream.

Betsy West, board president of the Main Street Farmers Market, is eager to see the show, which follows a West Virginia-based construction crew as they save and often repurpose historic barns and log cabins throughout the U.S. She said Washington County agriculture on international TV was rather a divine happening.

“I got a call on my cellphone out of the blue. It was a real off-the-wall call,” West said. “They found us on Google; basically, they looked for a farmers market and we popped up. They said, ‘Do you mind if we bring a film crew and film your market for Barnwood Builders?’

“Would I mind?” West laughed. “To me it was like, wow, it was a divine thing. They made the call and we accommodated.”

Because the visit last summer was impromptu, West didn’t have time to notify vendors. When Silent Crow Arts arrived to film, what they captured on camera was as organic as Main Street Farmers Market comes.

“In all this time, we have never had the experience of being filmed like that. They were the sweetest people. They were not intrusive. They interfaced with both the customers and the vendors. Everyone was so accommodating and grateful,” West said.

Mark Bowe, owner of Barnwood Living in West Virginia and face of the television show, browsed vendors’ tables, asking questions and purchasing treats for the crews salvaging the barn in West Alexander.

Everything was very natural, save the boom mic and handhelds; the only showmanship, West laughed, was the tolling of the bells to signify the start of buying and selling.

“Ed Stout, who is our market manager, he takes care of everything. When the market starts at 3 o’clock, Ed rings the bell. They were there for the filming of Ed. We were teasing him: I’ve never heard you ring the bell longer,” she said.

When Barnwood Builders inquired about working farms nearby, West directed the show to The Old Road Farm, where first-generation farmers Karis and Alex Tressel and their three children raise animals for meat and eggs and grow a limited supply of vegetables, herbs and flowers.

“The producers told me that they spent all this time on farms, but they haven’t really ever featured farming. They wanted to do an episode where they put a little more attention on the farmers. I had no idea what to expect,” said Tressel, who never expected the family farm established in 2020 would first appear in the local newspaper, then on an area podcast before winding up on network TV. “I don’t think people who don’t farm understand what a real working farm is like. They are busy and they can be messy. There’s a lot of unpredictability. It was mildly stressful knowing that it was going to be exactly what it was.”

It was, it turned out, a wonderful experience.The weather on filming day was beautiful, Tressel said, the chaos manageable and the crew, friendly and enthusiastic.

“The plan was for them to come and do morning chores. The crews showed up with Barnwood Builders’ personality Johnny Jett – he grew up farming. It was not that difficult to hand Johnny a bucket and say, ‘Hey, follow me, throw this in there,’” Tressel said. “It was really fun to get to talk about regenerative farming and why we farm the way that we do, why we farm at all. It was a treat to hear some of Johnny’s stories.”

While Jett collected eggs with Tressel and her older daughter Annabelle, 9, cameras rolled and Tressel’s son Benjamin snapped photos.

“We are a family farm. We like to keep everything pretty approachable. I like for my children to be pretty involved,” said Tressel, noting togetherness plays a role in what animals they breed and foodstuffs they grow.

While the expert Barnwood Builders were on site, they took a look at Tressel’s bank barn, built in the 1870s.

“There’s not a nail in the place. It’s all put together with wooden stakes, in that style of building,” said Tressel. “I’ve had some questions about it. It was great to have his eyeballs and have him tell me that it’s not going to fall down; it’s in good shape.”

So long as the evening farm chores wrap by 9 p.m., the Tressel family is in good shape to sit down and watch tonight’s episode of Barnwood Builders, something the pedal-to-the-metal farming fam rarely has time for.

“It is always a highlight to bring people on and watch their faces light up when they realize what farming can look like,” she said. “I have no idea what they’re going to show tomorrow night. I look forward to watching my first-ever episode of Barnwood Builders (tonight).”

West, too, is excited for the episode’s premiere and hopes it captures the flavor of Main Street Farmers Market.

“Our market is so different because we don’t just sell vegetables. It’s an experience,” said West. “We have live music, we have all the events for the little kids and families, face painting. To me, it’s a family event every single Thursday. And, we sell a lot of vegetables and flowers and fruits and coffees. We have people who come in weekly from out of state, they go to the Union Grill for lunch, they meet all their friends, they stay for the majority of the time to listen to the music. We’re kind of like “Cheers.” We’re the ‘Cheers’ market.”

For more on the Main Street Farmers Market, go to http://msfm.org/. To learn about Old Road Farm, visit https://theoldroadfarm.com/.

See where you can watch our small town on primetime at https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/barnwood-builders/1030397070/.