![Kimberly Arnold was among the many bidders at a produce auction on Wednesday, July 13, at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market at Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-9-1024x683.jpg)
LANDSTOWN — On a recent Wednesday evening, people bought local sweet corn during the weekly produce auction at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market.
And cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, fresh fruit and so much more.
The auctions, led by Gene Daniels Auctions, are held each Wednesday through Oct. 26 at the market, 3640 Dam Neck Road, where Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads meet.
Bulk buyers are at 6:30 p.m., and smaller lots follow at 7 p.m.
The auctions bring the public out to support local growers and find deals, and they also give local producers another outlet for selling.
The auctions sometimes coincide with the Foodtruck Rodeo, which brings several foodtrucks to the market from 4 p.m. to dusk on the second and fourth Wednesdays.
“I come out every week if I can,” said Courtney Reitzel of Kings Grant, who attended the auction with her husband, Marc Reitzel, and their children.
“I do a lot of home canning and preserving,” she said, “and I like to support local farms.”
As for Marc Reitzel?
“I get to watch the kids,” he said.
Courtney Reitzel, a member of the Virginia Urban Homesteaders League, said she uses some of what she gets at the market for canning classes she teaches.
“I just kind of look in my pantry and see what I’m low on,” she said.
Kimberly Arnold, bidding on a variety of fresh produce, brought her mom, Donmarie Arnold.
“This is her first time,” Kimberly Arnold said.
“I love this place,” Donmarie Arnold said.
“I told you it’s good,” Kimberly Arnold said.
![Maritess Caalim, seen with her son, Alexis, 3, visited the market while visiting family. Her brother-in-law, Mario Caalim of Virginia Beach, often comes to the market, and he said he was buying corn and other produce to cook for his loved ones while they visited. “I come here almost always,” he said. “The price is good.” [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-1-1024x683.jpg)
![Jean Van Alstyne of Green Run, a regular at the auction, says she bids upon whatever catches her eye. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-2-1024x683.jpg)
![Auctioneer Gene Daniels keeps the produce auction moving along. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-4-1024x683.jpg)
![Sylvia Rose of Chesapeake, who said she comes to the auction every Wednesday, bids. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-5-1024x683.jpg)
![Troy Barnes, 44, of Suffolk, opens an ear of his bicolor sweet corn so bidders can have a look at its yellow and white kernals. Barnes decided to bring some produce for the auction, and he also meant to buy produce while he was there. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]](https://princessanneindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/auc-1-8-683x1024.jpg)
For more information on the Virginia Beach Farmers Market or the weekly produce auctions, follow the market on Facebook, visit vbgov.com or call (757) 385-4388.
© 2016 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC
