I have been a resident of Turlock for the last seven years.  I am a mom of two elementary school age kids, the current president of the MOMS Club of Turlock SW, Delhi and Hilmar, a Girl Scout Troop leader and a classroom volunteer.  
Since living in town, my family has thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Turlock Certified Farmers' Market for many reasons...

This past year when the TCFM moved locations, I was skeptical.  But, when we attended, I was pleasantly surprised at the shade from the hot sun, the amount of vendors that had been added, and also the amount of foot traffic that the move had created.  And there were several new vendors.  The Traveling Stories/Book Tent was fantastic, and provided a place for my children to hang out and read while I shopped around.  I felt comfortable leaving them there for a short amount of time and was amazed at how excited they were about earning "book bucks."  What an awesome venue for the kids.  And the Stan State kid's night, wow, that was amazing. And, who can forget the trick or treating?  My kids love walking the market in their costumes, trying samples, picking up a cookie and scoring some candy along the way.  I mean, how fun is that?
As current chapter president of the MOMS Club (a non-profit support base for mothers), I inquired about having a booth at the market to provide information to the community about our three Turlock chapters.  We were welcomed warmly by the committee and had a booth twice last season.  On Children's Day, we received a lot of inquiries at our table and felt that we were successful in reaching out to the community.  

I have read that there are potential changes to the TCFM this year, and I am saddened by this.  My family has particularity enjoyed meeting our local farmers and merchants, and supporting their hard work.  We live in a farm/agricultural community and I am proud to support it.  I have always felt that our "small" town was important and meaningful, and having the market has proved worthwhile, in my opinion.  If we were to lose our connection with the farmers and merchants in our local area, what is that going to do to our town?  Isn't the point of living in a small town to support it, nurture it and help it grow?  Aren't we teaching our children what community is all about?  Don't we want them to grow up and understand the importance of local support?  

I love the TCFM and I will do what I can to help save it.  Being able to come together as a community and support those around us is very important to me and it's a value I want to teach my children.  Having someone come in, take over and destroy what the TCFM has worked so incredibly hard for these past six years would be a detriment to our town.  

—  Jennifer Skonovd