A celebration will be held April 6 at the Sunken Gardens in Downtown Atascadero

ATASCADERO — The City of Atascadero and the North County Farmers Markets are pleased to announce the 5th Anniversary and celebration of the return of Farmer’s Market to Sunken Gardens in Downtown Atascadero. Celebrate the event on Wednesday, April 6, from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., along with City Council members and local community leaders as they kick off the event 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, special giveaways, and games. All free to attend and enjoy. Plus, shop the market with a variety of food, fresh produce, breads, pies, gourmet chips, salsas, soup, honey, and more! 

The Farmers Market has been the highlight each Wednesday afternoon over the past five years, with families stopping in for fresh dinner items as they pick up their children from school. “We are excited to have the Farmers Market here in the Sunken Gardens every Wednesday, no matter what the temperature! It’s another opportunity where the community comes out to enjoy the 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 becomes a great weekly habit to place on your calendar!”

The idea of returning the market to the downtown location began in November 2015. However, timing is everything, and changing a location can be tricky. 

“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, 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 restored and open to the public, it made sense for the market to return to Sunken Gardens and after five years, the market continues to grow and do well!

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 VisitAtascadero.com/events.