WILKES-BARRE -- Finding a parking spot is always a challenge on farmers' market Thursdays, but today is a bit tougher because the traffic signals on Public Square are broken.
The traffic lights are out on one of the busiest streets in the Wyoming Valley.
Some vendors believe the technical trouble may be partly to blame for a smaller crowd at Thursday's farmers' market in Wilkes-Barre.
The traffic lights have been blinking yellow for more than 24 hours now.
Some farmers and vendors believe the congestion earlier and traffic advisory from the city may have kept a bigger crowd from coming out.
With the summer season slowly approaching an end, plenty of people spent their lunch break in the sun, searching for produce at the Wilkes-Barre farmers' market.
"Hot thing today was our peaches. Of course we're getting toward the end of our season. We have nectarines, our own tomatoes," said Darby Kessler of Kessler's Orchards in Berwick.
Kessler had plenty of bright red and green peppers for sale but the only color flashing from the traffic signals on Public Square was yellow.
With students returning to class and competition from county fairs, Kessler believes the crowd was smaller, in part, because of the malfunctioning traffic signals.
"A little bit less this week, yeah."
A police cruiser was parked at one intersection. All four had officers directing cars and people trying to get to the farmers' market.
Katherine Burgess says it was a bit of challenge crossing Public Square without the traffic lights and with unfamiliar drivers.
"You know the ones that are not used to going around the circle? Those are the ones that are out-of-towners. They'll get a little lost."
Other than some brief backups and a few heated tempers, there were no serious issues.
City officials blame a broken control panel for the problem and they say parts needed to fix it won't be here until this weekend.
