As I was walking home from work today, I came across the farmers’ market in Davis Square. The event had ended, and people were packing up their booths.
I walked down Day Street, taking the slightly longer route home, and I came across a guy picking up all the signs.
I smiled at the signs — they read Farmers’ Market Today. There are plenty of farmers’ markets throughout the U.S., especially during the summer, but people hardly ever have an apostrophe, let alone an apostrophe in the right place!
I saw the guy, silly hat and all, and KNEW that I had to immortalize him.
“Hi. I was wondering if you could do me a favor,” I said as I approached him.
“Sure,” he replied. “What is it?”
“Well, you see, I write a grammar blog. http://www.thegrammarvandal.com/. I take pictures of grammar–“
“Oh, yeah. I heard something about that blog,” he said. “There was an article in the paper, right?”
I WANT TO EMBRACE THIS MAN.
“Yes!” I said, beaming. “Nobody has said that to me yet! I was on NPR on Monday, too. You have to visit it! I saw the signs, and the grammar is so wonderful, I’d like to put it on the blog! Here, you can hold it. I love your hat.”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t the one who wrote the sign. I feel I shouldn’t take credit for it.”
“Yes, you can!” I cried. “You are an aficionado of good grammar! You should pose with the sign! It will be perfect.”
“Okay, if you say so,” he agreed.
Location: Day Street, Somerville/Cambridge line, MA
The Grammar Vandal 
This post makes me smile.
This post led me to check my F.M. schedule. It’s the Salt Lake City 2007 Downtown Farmers Market (www.slcfarmersmarket.org). No apostrophe in the title. I opened the booklet to the first page and found no usage of the apostrophe– right place or wrong– in the description of the Market. (But I probably should say much because I’m a grammar criminal, guilty as charged.)
Do you think he will be offended when he goes on the site tonight and sees you made fun of his “silly” hat?
I hope he wasn’t selling brussels sprouts, bell peppers, lima beans, sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, lemon thyme, banana peppers, grape tomatoes, coffee beans, or any fruit juice. After all, all those food items use nouns as modifiers, the same way “Farmers Market” does.
Wow, this comment is making me hungry. I think I’ll have a bowl of matzah ball soup and then have some beef brisket.