The celebration will continue throughout the year, with the official anniversary set for Aug. 1
By MADELYN SEVIGNY — city@theaggie.org
On Jan. 17, the Davis Farmers Market began its year-long 50th anniversary celebration. Patrons, staff and vendors gathered for a group photo below a newly revamped logo and reflected on the growth the market has experienced over the past 50 years.
The college town staple takes place every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. In addition to their normal hours, the market also takes place on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. from October through April, as well as on the UC Davis campus during the fall and spring quarters.
The Davis Farmers Market was initially founded by a group of UC Davis students, including Henry Esbenshade, Martin Barnes, Annie and Jeff Main and Ann M. Evans in 1976, becoming one of the first farmers markets in California. Nearly all of the founding members went on to become farmers, with many still selling at the market today.
The Davis Farmers Market has a very close relationship with the Davis Food Co-op, with many of the same members involved in starting both organizations, according to the Davis Food Co-op’s website. The relationship is mutually beneficial, as the Co-op guarantees to buy food that isn’t sold at the Saturday market.
The market started with three farmers and some produce, but has now transformed into the thriving marketplace that it is today with the steady inclusion of more vendors and the building of the Farmers Market Pavilion in Central Park. The market now hosts 90 vendors on Saturdays, with an estimated 500,000 annual visitors, according to Randii MacNear, the executive director of the Davis Farmers Market Alliance.
MacNear emphasized the importance of the market’s Farm to School program, which funds school gardens and lunch programs, as well as provides unique educational opportunities.
“The Davis Farm to School program is this full circle thing where you start with the kids as soon as they enter school,” MacNear said. “They become your change agents, they become your thinkers.”
The farmers market also provides support for individuals in need of nutritional assistance. People with CalFresh and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) can use their benefits at the market and are provided with fruit and vegetable vouchers.
“When somebody has an EBT card […] we debit money from that account, and we give them that amount of money to spend in the market with a currency called the tokens,” MacNear said. “Then, each farmer doesn’t have to have their own machine, [and] it is a tremendous benefit to the students in particular.”
Debra Ariola, owner of Recollections, a vintage and craft item booth, shared what projects she was working on to celebrate the start of the anniversary celebration.
“I just made a lot of watermelons, and, you know, vegetables and fruit,” Ariola said. “I made sure I had watermelon bowl cosies and scrunchies and such.”
Ariola also explained how her products give back to the community.
“Our focus is on inclusion and anti-bullying,” Ariola said. “We partnered early on with the Davis Phoenix Coalition, [and] a portion of sales go to their anti-bullying projects.”
Kevin Ellis of Tom’s Bakery, previously known as Davis Bread and Desserts, took over the business after his father passed away about a year ago. Ellis has been participating in the farmers market since he was a child and noted the relationships he has built at the market over the years.
“I’ve known some of these people since I was a little kid,” Ellis said. “I’ve literally grown up with, like, Good Humus; the owner now, her and I were best friends when we were like 5 years old, and we both grew up and now have our own booths.”
Dezla Dawkins, a Tom’s Bakery employee of 13 years, explained how vendors work together to benefit each other.
“Inter-market trading is really nice,” Dawkins said. “There’s a lot of community between the vendors, so we get a lot of discounts for fruits and vegetables, which we can then use in our products.”
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Davis Farmer’s Market, MacNear explained that there will be numerous activities planned to recognize the farmer’s market community and history.
“We’re going to be doing all-year-long social media posts and messaging about the history of the market, and also some then-and-now photos,” MacNear said. “Mid-year, on Aug. 1, we are going to have a huge community event [and] the theme is kind of like a market family reunion. [It’s] going to be a year of telling what has been the story [of the market] for the last 50 years.”
MacNear described the long-lasting impacts of the Davis Farmers Market and her hopes for the future.
“I think what people feel is that it’s not going anywhere,” MacNear said. “There’s a permanency, and so I think it makes people feel like the market is always going to be here for another 50 years, you know, and that’s our message, that’s what we’re hoping to do. We have helped build the industry in the state and we’re not going anywhere.”
Written By: Madelyn Sevigny — city@theaggie.org
