UNION — “We’re here to honor the guys that put food on our table,” Sharon Smith explained Saturday during Monroe County’s 55th annual Farmers’ Day.

The celebration attracted plenty of visitors to this usually sleepy town. Sidewalks teemed with young parents pushing strollers and holding toddlers’ hands, older children rushing toward the next open-air booth laden with sweet treats or hot dogs, teens testing out the latest fashion statement and mature folks settling into rows of lawn chairs to watch the parade pass.

Smith, wife of the pastor of Union Lighthouse Church of God, noted all of the tasty food being sold at the church’s booths was either donated outright by local merchants or purchased with cash donations, meaning all money raised from the sale of hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and soft drinks, among other treats, will be used for the youth ministry, with no expenses coming out of the proceeds.

“Our youth ministry is really active,” she said. “We put on an Easter egg hunt, take the kids on camping trips; we have a ‘Hallelujah’ party instead of Halloween.”

A little farther down Main Street, Carla and Chester Ferguson Jr. sat on a raised curb with their two daughters, Sara and Alice, between them, waiting for the parade to begin.

“We come (to Farmers’ Day) every year,” Carla pointed out, saying she and her family have lived in Union nine years. “The parade is the highlight of the day.”

Nora Hollingshead, a volunteer with the Monroe County Animal League, is another fairly recent transplant to the area, having moved with her husband from Beckley six years ago. They were manning a table filled with MCAL brochures and raffle tickets.

In a county with no animal shelter, the all-volunteer, nonprofit MCAL fills a special need.

“We provide foster homes for the animals, along with spay and neuter funding and medications except for rabies vaccinations,” Hollingshead explained. “Once a month, we take a group of rescued animals to Salem, Mass., to a no-kill facility. They’re put in isolation for three days and then adopted. There are people standing in line waiting for our puppies; they love these little Monroe County animals.”

In addition to the raffle, MCAL holds an auction in October. “We’re in desperate need of donations — both time and money,” Hollingshead said.

Contact the MCAL at www.mcal.petfinder.com, 304-772-4445 or P.O. Box 343, Union, WV 24983.

Romie Hughart attends Farmers’ Day “just about every year,” many times as a volunteer in Mount Hermon Baptist Church’s booth, selling homemade goodies like cookies, coffeecake and bread. That’s where he was Saturday, but he said with a chuckle, “I’m just a participant, not a worker. Mostly, I do a lot of eating.”

A musician with the Turtle Creek Band, Hughart said, “We have a good time at the American Music Hall in Ronceverte. The band plays there every Tuesday, but I can’t always make the trip.”

Turtle Creek also performs at the Senior Center in Lindside, playing country and some gospel music.

Looking around at the throngs of people lining Main Street, Hughart said, “There’s a good crowd here. The Lord’s blessed us with a sunshiny day.”

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com