Tower District farmers market still closed in Fresno. Here’s the plan for it to return
It’s been a contentious year for The Tower District Farmers Market.
The Thursday night event opened along Olive Avenue last April, promising 52 weeks worth of local, seasonal fruit and vegetables delivered inside a community block party that included arts, crafts, entertainment and food trucks options.
It was met with mixed enthusiasm from the community, some of whom were confused by what they saw as a gauntlet of food trucks and vendor stands along with a limited choice in produce.
Then, the market closed abruptly in January.
Organizers cited bad weather and lower-than-expected attendance through the winter and said the market would relaunch in March.
That didn’t happen.
Why the delay?
Peter DeYoung, Executive Director of California Fresh Farmers Market Association, which runs Tower Market and four others in Fresno, said he had hoped to have the market up and running by the second week in April, but is waiting on the city to get through a mandatory review process.
“They are getting close,” he said in a message Tuesday.
Once, the city gives a green light, the market will open its season the following Thursday and operate weekly up until the Christmas season, he said.
The city is finalizing a special-event permit that would allow the market to operate on a six-month basis, said City Councilmember Annalisa Perea, whose District 1 donated $20,000 of the $80,000 needed to get the market open.
As of last week, the city was waiting on information it needed from the California Fresh Farmers Market Association, she said, including proof of insurance and a complete list of vendors.
“They’re dictating the timeline at this point.”
Changes at the Tower District Farmers Market
When the market does open, it will be with some changes.
Some of those changes, like shrinking the market’s overall footprint along Olive Avenue, were suggested by California Fresh Farmers Market Association, Perea said.
Others were conditioned by the city based on feedback from the community.
The launch of the market was a learning process, Perea said, and the changes give consideration to the community’s thoughts and perceptions moving forward.
“It will result in a better experience,” she said.
Among changes for the 2024 farmers market season:
The number of food trucks will be capped at seven and allowed only on side streets off of Olive Avenue, away from businesses.
The market will be a few blocks shorter, with Olive Avenue closed from Wishon Avenue to Echo Avenue. The street will be reopened by 10 p.m. to allow access into the district for the late night-crowd.
Last year, the road closure signs kind of lived on Olive Avenue, Pera said, propped up on trees and buildings all over the district. This year, those signs must be kept stored so as to not be visible to the public.
Forty percent of all vendor space must be reserved for local growers. That’s farmers, mostly, but also people who make bread or honey or grow flowers. It cannot include craft vendors, artists or food trucks, Perea said.
“If that means you need to decrease the footprint that week, you need to decrease the footprint that week,” she said.
The city will be monitoring the market each month and will review its permit at the end of the six-month period. Another operator could be asked to take over if expectations are not met, she said.
“I don’t want to stop having a farmers market in the Tower.”
Back in January, organizers had said they were already looking for ways to keep food trucks from competing directly with existing brick-and-mortar businesses in the area, and wanted to keep smelly, noisy generators away from the crowds.
It was looking to require vendors to use rechargeable LED lights.
The market will also offer better access to its fruits and vegetable offerings as part of a federal market match program that gives EBT users an extra $15 to spend on produce, DeYoung said.
Once the market gets the OK from the city, it will be releasing more information on exactly what the community can expect this season.
