(From press release) On Saturday, August 1, the Davis Farmers Market celebrated a remarkable milestone: 50 years of bringing farmers, food, families and community together in Davis.
The day was a celebration of the past, the present, and future, five decades ago this market started as a gathering place for local farmers and community members to sell directly to customers and has since grown into a beloved Davis institution — a place where generations of residents come to shop for fresh, locally grown food, connect with neighbors, support local agriculture and experience the unique sense of community that makes the Davis Farmers Market special.
The 50th anniversary celebration brought together market shoppers, farmers, community partners, local leaders and longtime supporters to honor the market’s history and look toward its future.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped make the Davis Farmers Market what it is today,” said Randii Macnear, Executive Director of the Davis Farmers Market Alliance. “For 50 years, this market has been more than a place to buy food. It has been a place to meet your neighbors, celebrate local agriculture, build relationships and feel connected to the community. We’re excited to carry that spirit forward for the next 50 years.”
The Davis Farmers Market extends its deepest gratitude to the market founders— Ann M. Evans , Annie and Jeff Main of Good Humus Produce, Henry Esbenshade of Everything Under the Sun, and Martin Barnes of Capay Organic—whose vision and commitment laid the foundation for decades of community gathering in Central Park.
We are grateful to all of the speakers who helped make the 50th anniversary celebration a meaningful reflection on the market’s history, impact and future –Secretary Karen Ross, Congressman Mike Thompson, Senator Christopher Cabaldon, the office of Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Yolo County Supervisors Sheila Allen and Lucas Frerichs, Davis Mayor Donna Neville, and Vickie Sargetis Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Sutter Medical Center Sacramento.
The celebration would not have been possible without the many community partners who have supported the Davis Farmers Market and helped strengthen its connection to the broader Davis community, including:
Central Park Gardens
CAFF
City of Davis
Davis Chamber of Commerce
Davis Downtown Business Association (DDBA)
Davis Farm to School
Davis Food Co-op
Davis Joint Unified School District
Slow Food Yolo
Sutter Health
UC Master Gardeners
UC Davis
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Visit Yolo / Visit Davis
Yolo County
We are grateful for our partnerships and for all the agriculture, food, and artisan organizations who have made an impact in the health and longevity of Farmers Markets. Your support and commitment to the health, vitality and connectedness of the Davis community is appreciated.
Most of all, the Davis Farmers Market is deeply grateful to all of our market sellers.
Farmers, ranchers, food producers, artisans, prepared-food vendors and other local businesses have been at the heart of the market for 50 years. Their hard work, creativity and dedication make it possible for the community to gather around fresh, local food week after week.
Our sellers are what make the Davis Farmers Market come alive. We are deeply grateful for the generations of growers and producers who have made the market part of their work — and for the relationships they have built with the Davis community, creating a welcoming and inviting space for all who visit the market!
Looking Ahead: 50 More Years!
While the 50th anniversary was a celebration of the past, it is also the beginning of the Davis Farmers Market’s next chapter.
As the market looks toward the next 50 years, we invite the community to think about what it means to belong to the Davis Farmers Market.
A farmers market can be more than a weekly shopping trip. It can be a place where you know the farmer who grows your food, where your children grow up recognizing familiar faces, where you run into neighbors, discover something new, shop to create recipes from our cookbooks, share a meal and feel connected to the place you call home.
The Davis Farmers Market is a community you can belong to.
Whether you have been coming for 50 years or are discovering the market for the first time, there is a place for you here.
The invitation is simple: Keep coming to market. Bring your friends. Bring your family. Meet your neighbors. Support our local farmers and producers. And help us build the next 50 years of community together.
Here’s to 50 years — and to 50 more.
Stay connected with us–visit www.davisfarmersmarket.org or follow the Davis Farmers Market on social media.
Davisite 
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