Roadside veggie stand that fended off transit agency sells in the end

Posted at 12:43 PM on June 24, 2010 by Bob Ingrassia
Filed under: Twin Cities

Adelmann's Farm Market at Highway 13 and Shawnee Road in Eagan. (Photos courtesy Adelmann's Farm Market)

For 50 years, Betty Adelmann sold produce at a stand along Highway 13 in Eagan.

She offered corn, berries, pickles and whatever else happened to be in season. Her customers and friends were old-time Eagan residents, newcomer suburbanites and city dwellers who couldn't resist her throwback market.

In 2003, Betty became a rallying point for the community after the Metropolitan Council proposed using eminent domain to buy her one-acre property to make room for a Minnesota Valley Transit Authority bus garage. An outcry prompted the transit agency to give up on the land and build the garage next door.

Betty died in February and now, after all this time, the Adelmann Farm Market is calling it quits and selling the land to the transit authority.

Bruce Adelmann, one of Betty's seven children, says the market will close Oct. 31. There's an off chance they'll find another location, but Bruce doesn't sound too hopeful.

"My brother has a place in Farmington, but I'm not sure we can do something out there," he said.

This summer has turned into an extended farewell. Longtime customers have been saying goodbye -- to the market and to Betty.

"A lot of folks are sad to see us go," Bruce said. "But it's been nice hearing all the stories about (Betty)."

You can swing by the market seven days a week. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.