The entity browsed for ninety minutes, showed a sustained interest in stone fruit preserves, and has not been issued a vendor badge. A complaint has been filed. The Market Standards Committee has called an emergency meeting for Thursday.

HARLAN’S CREEK, WV — An entity described by market staff and at least forty-six attending witnesses as consistent with a Category 3 Ambulatory Infected Variant was present at the Harlan’s Creek Saturday Farmers Market from approximately 9:15 a.m. until 10:44 a.m. this past weekend, during which time it moved between stalls, handled several items it did not purchase, and made repeated unsolicited contact with the Bellamy Farm preserves display on the north end of the market grounds. No injuries have been reported. One jar of blackberry conserve is unaccounted for.

Vendor Carol Bellamy, who has operated the Bellamy Farm preserves stall at the Saturday market for eleven years, confirmed she asked the entity not to touch the sample portions on three separate occasions. She described the entity as unresponsive to verbal instruction but noted that it did not appear aggressive and at one point seemed to consider the apricot jam with what she characterised as genuine interest. Carol Bellamy has since filed a formal complaint with the Market Standards Committee requesting, in writing, that the Committee clarify whether existing health code provisions apply to vendors, customers, or, in her words, ‘all parties regardless of biological status.’

Community Notice

It wasn’t being difficult. It just kept reaching. I’ve had worse from the Thursday evening crowd, honestly, but at least they’re breathing.

— Carol Bellamy, Bellamy Farm Preserves

Authorities Confirm Awareness Of Situation

Sheriff Linda Calhoun confirmed that the Harlan’s Creek Sheriff’s Department responded to a call at the market at 9:47 a.m. and that the matter is being handled through the appropriate channels. She did not specify which channels. A Form DCA-9 Local Law Enforcement Supplement has been filed. Arthur Bellamy of the Department of Cryptid Affairs Harlan’s Creek Field Office — no relation to Carol Bellamy, a point he made twice during a brief statement outside the market — confirmed that the entity had been observed and that classification efforts were ongoing. He described the situation as ‘not without precedent’ and declined to identify the precedent.

Market Manager Dennis Pryce stated that the entity had not registered as a vendor and had not paid the standard $12 market entry donation requested of non-vendor attendees. He noted that the market’s code of conduct does not currently address entities that do not respond to written or verbal communication and confirmed the code of conduct will be reviewed before the following Saturday. He asked that WTC not speculate about whether the entity will return. WTC is not speculating. The question was asked. Dennis Pryce left before it was finished.

Community Response Described As ‘Mixed But Largely Orderly’

Several market attendees described the entity’s presence as unsettling but noted that it did not disrupt the general flow of the morning. Barry Hutchins, 62, retired, told this network that the entity was ‘clearly operating under remote guidance from a satellite array’ and offered a detailed seventeen-minute account of the incident that market security footage does not entirely support. Sandra Okafor, who was attending the market with her daughter, said she had a perfectly pleasant morning and purchased what she described as an excellent sourdough. Photographs submitted by three other witnesses show an entity standing approximately four feet behind Sandra Okafor at the bread stall. Sandra Okafor has been informed. She has described this as ‘a bit much, honestly.’

The DCA’s position is that the entity’s presence at a licensed public market does not in itself constitute an actionable event. The DCA’s further position is that vendors should exercise reasonable judgement. The DCA has not defined reasonable.

— Arthur Bellamy, DCA Harlan’s Creek Field Office — no relation

The Market Standards Committee has confirmed an emergency session for Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Harlan’s Creek municipal meeting room. Items on the agenda include Carol Bellamy’s health code complaint, a proposal to update vendor signage, and a preliminary discussion of whether the market’s existing liability waiver covers incidents involving entities that are, in the Committee’s careful phrasing, ‘operating outside standard consumer parameters.’ Mayor Robert Pruitt has confirmed he will attend Thursday’s meeting and described the farmers market as a vital part of Harlan’s Creek’s community character. He expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved in a way that worked for everyone. He did not say how.

The entity’s current whereabouts are not known. The DCA advises the public to maintain a respectful distance if contact occurs and to avoid offering samples, which the DCA acknowledges is difficult advice for market vendors to action. Authorities continue to urge caution. The Saturday market opens at eight. This is Hal Ridgeway. Reporting continues.