This past week began another edition of a community event that has roots as far back as 20 years ago in downtown Riverbank.
The inaugural Tuesday Market launched on July 9, with vendors both in Plaza del Rio Park, and on both sides of Santa Fe Street, between Third and Fourth streets. It is scheduled for each Tuesday night weekly, through July 30.
Originally set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., organizers rescheduled it for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in recognizing the triple-digit temperatures that clamped down on the region lately.
Shoppers seemed to enjoy the additional shade the later start time offered them, plus the fact that temps didn’t quite get that high on Tuesday.
There were a variety of vendors, with cold beverages of many types popular at several locations. There was one dedicated to various fruit juices, as well as cotton candy, and another only featuring lemonade.
One booth sold shaved ice.
Food booths were popular, along with a number of products being sold. Another available on site was a florist’s truck.
There was music provided while shoppers strolled both ends of the street, with a local band playing live near Third Street, and a DJ cranking out recorded tunes near Fourth Street.
The weekly summertime market has a longstanding history in downtown.
It originated in 2003, organized by then-City Clerk Linda Abid-Cummings, and started out as a Farmers Market. Along the way, it ebbed and flowed, all summer long, until past growing season.
Over time, it changed days, when neighboring city Oakdale decided they wanted to have a Farmers Market on the same day as Riverbank. Local farmers couldn’t be in two places at once.
Eventually, when Abid-Cummings retired, others took over the event, and lately it has been organized by downtown businesses. It has also evolved away from being a farmers market, to just a market, but shoppers seem to enjoy it just the same.
And the slightly less-warm temperatures didn’t appear to hinder those who came out on its first day.
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