The Grand Valley is home to many markets and festivals that students can enjoy. This is especially true in the warmer months like summer, fall or spring.
There are three farmer’s markets featured around the area. The Grand Junction Market on Main goes until Sept. 21, 2023, and will come back in early July 2024. The market is in Downtown Grand Junction and students can browse booths and trucks while walking down the street.
The Palisade Farmers Market happens every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. while the Fruita Farmers Market is Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Both of these recurring events occur from late June to early Oct. Palisade and Fruita are known for their horticulture and viticulture.
Local vendors sell fresh produce, jewelry, pastries and many other goods. Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Alumni Jess Bye has been featured at The Western Slope Collective. Bye Art consists of paintings, apparel, jewelry and tote bags.
“My art is inspired by cartoons, pop art, hallucinogenic designs and queer culture. My favorite thing to make is fun tote bags or certain collections based on certain shows. I did one with a Simpson theme,” Bye said.
Rylee Crouch is a junior in exercise science student at CMU who sells her handmade art at the Artisan’s Market in Palisade and the Market on Main. Crouch will have a booth at the Market on Main for the next five weeks. Her art consists of dream catchers, resin mushrooms and jewelry.
“I love tying my creative art to natural elements. I use lots of wood, pine cones, moss and rocks in my work. Being in the farmers market has made it possible for my small business to see actual profit,” Crouch said.
Bye and Crouch touched on how they got to know other vendors and community members at these events and made important connections.
Fruita, Grand Junction and Palisade all have multiple festivals throughout the year in addition to markets.
The annual Palisade Peach Festival was held on Aug. 18-19 and featured a variety of peach-themed merchandise as well as food and drinks. A few popular ones were Roth’s Pretzels, Sunrise Burritos, Nomad Bowlz and many others that featured peach-themed products.
“This was our first one. We chose to go because we love going to local events and supporting the community. My son loves peaches so we thought it would be perfect for him,” community member Alissa Coyne said.
Organizations like The Protect the Dolores Coalition (PDC) could also sign up for booths to spread information about their causes. PDC shared their petition to make Dolores Canyon a national monument and answered questions about the process and the landscape in that area.
Grand Junction will hold Local Jam ‘23 at Warehouse25sixtyfive on Sept. 7-9. Tickets for each day will be $12 online and $13 at the door and a three-day pass is $30 online or $31 at the door. Students will be able to enjoy local artists like El Camino Burnout and Valley Curse.
The Fruita Fall Festival will be Sept. 22 and 23. It will feature events like the annual art walk and an art competition that will make its debut this year. The festival will also have live music and vendors, food trucks, handcrafted goods and yard games.
“Between vendors and customers, I have gotten to know some pretty cool folks,” Crouch said.
