We will be visiting some of the bigger weekly markets over the next couple of months and be sharing all along the way. For our first farmers market of the summer we visited Old Town Clovis Friday Farmers Market which is in its 30th season! The Friday night market runs May to September, every Friday night from 5:30 to 9. Our visit was on a hot night, but it was actually pretty comfortable in the mostly shaded streets of Clovis. As the breeze picked up, we really enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful sunset.
Obviously, you can make a quick run to the farmers market to pick up some fresh, locally grown produce, but if you are looking for an evening out with the family in Clovis, there are tons of food trucks and street entertainment to keep you busy for the evening! At the north end of the market is the street entertainment. They were having a pole vaulting competition the evening we went, and it was really busy in that area. After picking up our dinner at Mattie’s Pizza we walked a bit south along the sidewalk of Polasky and there were tons of public benches available to sit and eat and be a little out of the way of the crowds. We took our time enjoying Mattie’s Pizza, listening to the music and watching the people. The two pizzas that we ordered were absolutely delicious but we probably could have used a third to really fill the four of us.
After we finished our dinner we gave each of the kids $5 to spend on something that was grown… meaning, no toy/clothes/stuff vendors for us. We wanted the kids to look at and really appreciate all of the beautiful produce and flowers grown here in the Valley.
Bridget went straight for the absolutely picturesque Flora flower cart. She had so much fun constructing her own little bouquet with the help of Flora owner, Jaeleen. Bridget adored the whole experience and felt so special getting her first bouquet, that she now has on display in her bedroom.
Our little foodie, Kellan opted to spend his money on fruit! He was literally throwing all of the fruit he could get his hands on into the bag and I had to quickly slow him down as he had far exceeded his $5 worth… though he probably would have eaten all of it! I wish I could comment on the grapes and peaches that he picked out, but the kids ate all of them before I had a chance to try any of it… so I guess they were good!
Though Kellan is pretty adventurous when it comes to trying food and eating his vegetables, I think this is a really fun way to help encourage kids to try things they may not otherwise because they took part in purchasing it from the grower. I plan on having the kids pick out some vegetables on one of our next farmers market visits and then including them in dinner to hopefully convince Bridget to eat more greens.
The streets were full and the kids loved the bustle of it all! They got to sample giant golden raisins and explore so many different types of produce. It is a wonderful place for kids to discover lots of great things about the community.
And a summer night would not be complete without a rainbow snow cone! Though they were really excited about their flowers and fruit, I think this might have actually been their FAVORITE moment. They sat and just enjoyed their dessert and watched the crowd, the pole vaulters, and the beautiful sunset.
Though Rob and I were pretty tired after a full week of work, this little Friday night outing was really fun for all of us and it is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t!
The Beautiful Wandering 