Friday Night Farmers Market makes seasonal return

Pictured here is some of the produce offered at the Old Town Clovis Farmers Market. (Contributed by GT Farms)

Starting now until Sept. 28, the streets of Old Town Clovis will be entertained with the Friday Night Farmers Market. Every year it offers an array of seasonal fruits and vegetables straight from local farmers to the dinner table, providing the perfect opportunity for families and guests to get acquainted with some of the Central Valley’s finest agriculture.

From 5:30 p.m. until 9 every Friday along Pollasky from Third to Seventh Street, Old Town nourishes its guests with fresh organic produce, live music and an assortment of food vendors and local merchants.

According to B.O.O.T. Executive Director Carole Lester, this year’s market is set up so that shoppers can find vendors throughout the market as opposed to just on Fourth Street like in the past. Thus, allowing it to extend all the way to Seventh Street.

One producer who isn’t new to the Farmers Market is GT Florists & Herbs.

“It’s been about six years now. We come back every year because we like to see our regulars,” said Lilian Thaoxaochay, who helps her parents run GT Florists & Herbs. “It’s a market that is very heavily populated with a vibrant local community. Just to see who we are growing for and what they do with our products is a lot of fun too!”

This year, GT Farms will offer some golden beets which are known to be sweeter to the pallet and lighter on the hands. Another specialty item they have is sweet chocolate mint which can be added to tea, baked desserts or used as a garnish on desserts. Later in the summer, GT will have passion fruit and guava (Mexican and Thai varieties) available.

“My dad installs hoop tunnel greenhouses, so we can grow these two specific kinds of tropical fruit right here in the Valley,” Thaoxaochay said.

If you can’t indulge in the fun on Friday, there’s also a Saturday Farmers Market on Fifth and Pollasky from 8-11:30 a.m.


To engage with its shoppers, Old Town Clovis is hosting a social media contest on Facebook for a chance to win $100 in BOOT Bucks. Participants are asked to post their best Friday Night Farmers Market photo, tag Old Town Clovis and send the page a private message with the photo and your name. Photos will be reposted, and the top five photos will be announced in early June. Photos must be sent in by May 31.