Business Members to Discuss Farmer's Market Cancellation

While the Downtown Dixon Business Association Vice President cited lack of participation for the decision to cancel the Saturday morning Farmer's Market, some new ideas will be brought to the table by young board member Devon Minnema on attracting more vendors and re-opening it.

Minnema, who was depending on the market for a summer job, planted one acre of bell peppers, tomatoes, chili peppers, wheat, corn, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and green beans. He also had been spending evenings grinding locally grown wheat into flour to sell when his father called to tell him that he had read in a local paper that the event had been cancelled. Although he had been a vendor for the past two years, he was not notified and was the sole vendor at the Women's Improvement Club Park last Saturday. 

"I sold out of almost everything," he said. " But, I was the only one there."

"I'm disappointed the market was cancelled and I felt it needed more time," said Minnema. "Most farmers are just now getting their first yields. Farmers are having to find new ways to market their goods such as Twitter, which I use to tell people where I will be selling my goods." Minnema's Twitter handle is @DixonVeggieCart.

Ted Maciel and Suzanne Lorente, singers at last year's markets, also have offered to perform free of charge if the market returns.

The DDBA has approximately 70 members and not just in the downtown core. Many larger companies and even some in the surrounding areas pledge their support to revitalize downtown as the cultural center of Dixon.

Due to Independence Day, the regularly scheduled meeting was postponed to Thursday, July 12, at 8:30 am. Nominations for Board positions will also happen at the next meeting. Jill Orr is the current President and is ending her tenth year.

The meeting will be held at Nana and Company Children's Boutique at 141 N. First Street. For more information, contact Ana Tejeda at the DDBA office: (707) 678-8400.