MBCFM > Market News > Celebrating 50 Years of Farmers Markets, Fresh Food and Community

Join us at the Aptos Farmers Market on Saturday, June 20, as we celebrate an extraordinary milestone — the 50th Anniversary of the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets!

Since 1976, our markets have been bringing together local farmers, food artisans, chefs, and neighbors through a shared love of fresh food, sustainable agriculture, and community connection. What began as a small local market has grown into one of California’s most respected farmers market organizations — and a cherished weekly tradition for generations of Central Coast families.

For fifty years, the markets have been more than a place to shop. They’ve been gathering places where friendships are formed, recipes are shared, children grow up knowing their farmers, and local agriculture continues to thrive.

To mark this special anniversary, we’re inviting the community to celebrate with us during a festive morning at the market featuring birthday cake, live music, giveaways, and a special raffle filled with market favorites.

  • Birthday cake shared with the community
  • Free reusable produce bag sets for the first 150 people who stop by to wish us happy birthday
  • A raffle drawing for a beautifully curated seasonal market basket
  • Festive live music celebrating 50 years of local agriculture and community
  • Opportunities to meet the farmers, food artisans, and vendors who make the markets so special

Whether you’ve been shopping with us for decades or you’re discovering the market for the very first time, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the people, farms, and community spirit that have made these markets thrive for half a century.

Here’s to the next fifty years of local food, local farms, and community connection!

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