Butler County is filled with a variety of people doing interesting things. This weekly feature offers snapshots of some of them by asking five questions. The latest installment appears below.

An especially abundant crop of garden vegetables one year led to an 11-year-long association with the Mars Farmers Market for Fritz Bielo of Mars, both as a vendor and as a contact person for the market.

In addition to his work both for and at the farmer's market, Bielo is an insurance salesman, Christmas tree farm owner and removes hornet and yellow jacket nests for free. He says the insects are used in the production of life-saving immunotherapy medicine.

He's one of two contact persons for the market, which runs 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays from May through September in the Woodland Valley Church parking lot across from the post office in Mars. The other market contact person is Angela Tyler.

He took a break from working on his vegetable plants recently to answer five questions.

QUESTION: How did you get involved with the farmer's market?

ANSWER: I plant a lot of seeds in the garden. Everything came up one year really well. My wife and my daughter, Tess, took the extra vegetables to the market with a card table and a Playskool cash register.

She made $39 that day. She said, 'Dad, I'm doing it next week.'

It helped pay for her college education.

She's paid taxes since Day One, filed tax returns and put money into her IRA every year.

It taught her how to work to make money, how to talk to people. Everywhere she's worked, they've told us she has a good work ethic.

QUESTION: Has the farmers market gotten more popular?

ANSWER: We're trying our best. We're trying to notify all the media places we can about the market. A lot of the media places list us.

QUESTION: Has the state added rules?

ANSWER: That hurt us a little bit. If you are selling eggs, you have to buy a permit for $104, with an annual $85 renewal fee.

Kids who are trying to learn a business, raise chickens and sell the eggs can't afford to do that.

The state inspects kitchens if you sell baked goods. If you use well water, you have to have your well inspected. If you have a pet, you can't make baked goods for sale.

We've lost some vendors because of that.

But we've never had anybody get sick. I can't think of anybody who's had a problem.

QUESTION: What are the most popular items?

ANSWER: At the beginning of May, people are selling herbs, spinach, vegetable plants, peppers, cabbages, asparagus and rhubarb.

Starting in July, it's corn, zucchinis, squashes, tomatoes and onions.

Around the 4th of July, we'll have cherries.

QUESTION: How many people are selling at the market?

ANSWER: It varies from week to week. There are eight to 13 vendors on average.

Requirements to be a vendor at the Mars Farmers Market:• Vendor must own property in Mars borough, Adams Township, Callery or Valencia.• A one-time fee of $15 will be collected the first day the vendor sets up. “We give the money to the church (Woodland Valley) for the use of the parking lot,” said Fritz Bielo. “Some of it goes for signs and fliers to advertise the market.”