Anniversary celebration for farmers’ market happening April 6
Celebration to include music, food, cider/wine tasting, ‘petting zoo,’ animal rescue adoptions, giveaways, games, and more
– The City of Atascadero and the North County Farmers Markets have announced the 5-year anniversary and celebration of the return of Farmer’s Market to Sunken Gardens in downtown Atascadero. The community is invited to come to celebrate the event on Wednesday, April 6 from 3 – 6 p.m., along with Atascadero City Council members and local community leaders as the event kicks off with an official ribbon cutting.
This anniversary celebration will include live music by the Jump Jax Band, food samples from Colony Market & Deli, cider and wine tasting from Bristol’s Cider House and Lone Madrone Winery, the Atascadero FFA hosting a “petting zoo,” Farmstead Ed showcasing a variety of upcoming tours, Atlas animal rescue onsite for adoption opportunities, plus special giveaways, and games. All activities are free to attend. Plus, attendees can shop the market with a variety of food, fresh produce, bread, pies, gourmet chips, salsas, soup, honey, and more.
“We are excited to have the Farmers Market here in the Sunken Gardens every Wednesday, no matter the weather. It’s another occasion for our community to enjoy beautiful evenings with our Historic City Hall as the backdrop and an opportunity to make a night out of it by visiting the many restaurants in our City,” said Mayor Heather Moreno, “and it’s a great weekly habit on my calendar!”
The idea of returning the market to the downtown location began in November 2015, “When we made the change five years ago, we needed to make sure that our farmers saw the opportunity and the timing had to be planned and communicated well to the public, since then, it’s been fantastic for the farmers and the community,” said Robyn Gable, manager for North County Farmers Markets.
The market had previously been located at Sunken Gardens, but after the 2003 San Simeon earthquake, Atascadero City Hall was forced to close due to the damage and the board members for the North County Farmers Markets decided to move to what is now the Smart & Final location. The result of the 2003 earthquake along with the many grocery store ownership changes through the years had a negative impact on the market. With Historic City Hall beautifully now restored and open to the public, the market returned to the Sunken Gardens and after five years, the market continues to grow.
The Atascadero Farmers Market operates weekly on Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. for Daylight Savings and 3-5 p.m. in the winter months. For more information, go to www.VisitAtascadero.com/events.
