Carlsbad’s Downtown Farmers’ Market is back after COVID-19 limited activities in 2020 due to health restrictions enacted by the State of New Mexico.
Carlsbad Downtown Farmers’ Market Manager Kelly Childs said people appeared ready to get out this year after COVID-19 canceled or modified most events last year.
Carlsbad MainStreet Executive Director Ashly Key said the Farmer’s Market held every Thursday at the Eddy County Courthouse lawn showed the community wanted to get out and support downtown merchants and activities.
“COVID (19) really made people see their talent and they started working on those talents and now new small businesses are being created and growing through these farmers’ markets. This just opens the door for people to grow their businesses,” she said.
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This year’s Downtown Farmers’ Market opened May 21 and runs through Oct. 21. Pearl of the Pecos Arts and Cultural District Executive Director Kat Davis said a new event was added this year for the third Thursday of every month to make it “bigger and better.”
“And made sure people had a reason to come out on Thursday night. So that’s where the Third Thursday event came from,” Davis said.
She said the first Third Thursday kicked off in May when the 2021 Downtown Farmers’ Market opened.
Fresh produce, artist wears and live music greets gatherers during the weekly event.
Childs said one food truck provides nourishment to hungry people during regular Thursday events downtown.
“On Third Thursdays we have two food trucks. We’re having music every week and we have a little bit bigger artists on the Third Thursday along with non-profits,” she said.
Childs said Third Thursday’s gives residents a chance to learn more about nonprofit agencies providing services to citizens in Carlsbad and Eddy County.
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“They give information on how to volunteer with them and give information about their whole organization,” she said.
Davis said nonprofit face-to-face gatherings with the public sets Third Thursday apart from other Farmers’ Market Thursday’s.
“That we do invite other community organizations, non-profits. We like to call it the one stop shop community event on the Third Thursday’s. The streets are shutdown. We get vendors out and about,” she said.
Key said the Downtown Farmers’ Market created space for farmers and crafters and created awareness for downtown merchants.
Courthouse Mural project underway
Davis said work started last week by artist Michael Fish on the “Greetings from Carlsbad” mural located on the north end of the Eddy County Courthouse parking lot.
Eddy County’s Board of County Commission gave permission to the Pearl of the Pecos Arts and Cultural District to pain the bare wall near CNB Bank earlier this year.
“We’re hoping the majority of it will be completed this weekend. I think it’s a great project,” she said.
Davis said mural extensions are planned for the sides, after it was opened up for a community project for people to donate funds for the work.
“Then we would make sure we would include their name on there. But I didn’t want to do the typical kind of plaques as it is a mural, an artists project. I wanted to see if we could get them painted on there in some kind of way,” she said.
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Davis said the side panels would include names of donors who contributed to the project.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
