ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lehigh County is mourning the loss of a local legend.
Dan Wuchter, Sr. owned the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market and passed away last week after a battle with dementia.
His wife and friends spoke with 69 News about Dan’s life’s work, and the future of the farmer’s market.
If the Allentown Fairground Farmers Market is the stomach of Lehigh County, Dan Wuchter was its heart.
“I love the market. I love being here. As so many of the merchants do. I just absolutely love it,” Don Wuchter, Sr. once said in an interview at the farmer’s market.
That love sustained the farmer’s market for the better part of 8 decades. And Dan Wuchter was in the trenches. He opened Dan’s Bar-B-Que in the mid-1950’s.
Laurie Wuchter was Dan’s wife and partner for 34 years.
“You know, he took my breath away the first time I saw him,” said Laurie. “I’ve been with him seven days a week since I met him pretty much. 7 days a week. We had to check in (on the Farmers Market) even on Christmas and the holidays, because you never know, there might be a leak. But this (market) was his passion. This was his gem.”
Dan Wuchter became the sole owner of the Farmer’s Market in 1995, preserving the historic and important piece of Allentown history. His loss is immense.
“He’s part of the community or he was the community. And people came just for him many times,” Laurie said.
Bill Walsh, owner of Mr. Bill’s Poultry, had been friends with Wuchter since 1968.
“It was ultra-personal. If you did something against the market, you did something against Dan,” Walsh said.
Dan’s wife Laurie and Dan’s son Jr. say they’ll continue to work to make sure the farmer’s market is a success.
Dan was 86 years old. His funeral is set for Tuesday.