Find out Saturday what’s growing in Yuma

Farmers, businesses share knowledge at event Saturday

A Main Street event celebrating Yuma cultivation, by professional farmers as well as gardeners, is being held along Main Street today and Saturday.

The inaugural What’s Growing in Yuma Festival is running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and fills the slot left by the cancellation of Lettuce Days, a popular but unprofitable event held at the Yuma Ag Center, Main Street and other locations for 18 years.

“It’s a free event that is fun and educational for the whole family,” city of Yuma spokeswoman Lucy Valencia said. It is being organized by the city’s Heritage Festivals program and has several sponsors.

This event is the new public bookend for the Southwestern Agricultural Summit, which draws hundreds of attendees to the area every spring.

Vendor booths along the street will have demonstrations of a variety of recipes including hot sauce, honey mesquite tortillas, Indian fry bread and zucchini cupcakes, as well as selling various products.

Main Street businesses will get into the act, too:

• Desert Olive Farms, 224 S. Main St., suite 106, will outline “How Olive Oil is Made” at 10:30 a.m. today and Saturday.

• Prison Hill Brewing Co., 278 S. Main St., has “Beer 101” classes at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both days.

• Bare Naked Soap Co., 261 S. Main St., will round things out with “How Soap is Made” at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

Master Gardener Janine Lane will answer gardening questions, and presentations on food safety and pesticide safety will also be given. A custom trailer from the University of Arizona will offer exhibits and lectures.

The family-friendly event will have plenty of kid-oriented activities, including Tanimura and Antle’s Artisan Mobile and craft tables, a potting-and-go craft from Yuma Garden Club President Lydia Riebel and a water lab presented by Natalie Brassill, an extension agent of the University of Arizona’s Maricopa Agricultural Research Center.

Live entertainment, face painting and much more will be provided for attendees. For more information, visit www.yumaaz.gov or www.visityuma.com.