The Seacoast Growers Association is celebrating its first ever Farmers’ Market Senior Appreciation Day in Portsmouth Saturday, Sept. 24. The event will feature a 10 percent discount for seniors, and a group of teen volunteers will be available to tote bags. Also on hand will be local harmonica legend Seth Ames.

Ames has worked as a strolling musician for over 40 years, playing festivals, fairs and farmers’ markets throughout New England. He plays what is known as a chromatic harmonica, which has a slide apparatus attached under the mouthpiece that enables the musician to play all of the half notes that are missing on the more common diatonic harmonica.

One minute in front of this gracious and fun-loving gentleman, and you know you’re in the presence of an old-time entertainer. Ames peppers his shows with what he refers to as “light family humor” and is known to fortify the musical performance with entertaining sound effects and voice imitations. “I specialize in songs from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, and I love to take requests,” says Ames, who appears regularly at assisted living facilities in the area. In spite of the fact that he boasts a repertoire of over 500 songs, Ames claims to be a little nervous, saying, “I’ve never played for four hours straight before, and what with all of those ripe tomatoes lying around….”

Entertainment has been part of the schedule at the Farmers’ Market all summer long, including notables such as jazz pianist Ray Demarco and bluegrass band American Flyer.  According to Marsha Wiggin of Wake Robin Farm in Stratham, who books the entertainment for the market, the performances make a palpable difference in the atmosphere. “I’ve watched the crowd just before the music starts,” says Wiggin. “People are just kind of milling around,” she says, “and as soon as the music starts you right away see people start to smile and pick up the pace.” Puppeteer Martha Dana, who wows crowds with performances of her giant handcrafted puppets, is another favorite, says Wiggin.  
The SGA planned Senior Appreciation day in lieu of the harvest festival that used to take place at the market each fall. “We wanted to create something where everyone could participate,” Wiggin says, but she says that it wasn’t realistic to expect each vendor to provide the manpower needed to successfully pull off a big festival. Asking each vendor to offer the discount was a great way to get everyone to participate without asking them to sacrifice the manpower they need to run their farms at this busy time of year, Wiggin says.