You can tell that Spring has sprung and Summer is on us when the Honey Festival and Farmers Market arrive.

The Honey Festival this year is set for Saturday, May 3, while the Woodland Farmers Market returns Saturday, May 10. The Honey Festival is always a fun affair and the Farmers Market — since it continues through October — is a place where people throughout the community can connect as well as buy fresh local produce, sip locally made coffee or indulge in homemade products such as soaps, scented candles, woodwork and clothing.

In 2024, the Honey Festival was “rained out,” meaning it could not be held downtown as it had been in previous years. Rather, through the quick thinking of Al Eby, a representative for Visit Woodland who created the Festival, it was held in Waite Hall, the Main Expo Building, the Floral Building, and John Rogers Hall at the Yolo County Fairgrounds.

I attended the event as a representative of the Cache Creek Nature Conservancy board of directors. Our little booth featured animal pelts as well as “magnetic sand” that allowed people to see what the prints of local wildlife looked like.

We had good attendance, as did others at the Festival. Typically, when the Festival has been held outdoors, between 20,000 and 30,000 people show up on Main Street in downtown. How the attendance will be this year is anyone’s guess. If the weather is good, there should be a good turnout.

The Festival is also a way for the city to champion its “Bee City” status as a place which works to protect bees because they are crucial in pollinating local crops, particularly almonds.

But I also want to spend time as a champion of the Woodland Farmers Market, which will be back for its 29th year. The Market is located on First Street between Court and North Streets, east of the Woodland Public Library.

The Market has been around since 1996, and although it has moved a few times throughout the years, the First Street location seems to be a good fit, particularly since the Learning Garden is located immediately south, adjacent to City Hall.

Sonia Mora, who helped create the market decades ago and has been managing it for the last 25 years, deserves a lot of community credit for seeing that there are vendors aplenty and people willing to come out and support them.

In a news story several years back, Mora was quoted as saying, “I love seeing people walk through eating the peaches or the apricots or whatever they just bought. We have a small community, but it’s just really fun.”

The Market is also intrinsically tied to the Library. There’s a Kids’ Farmers Market every other weekend, featuring a variety of activities that include reading, storytelling, music, and more. In the past, the Library has featured programs called “Growing Readers and Veggie Eaters” and “produce art.”

I’m speculating that the Library’s new “Book Mobile” will also be making appearances from time to time, offering kids easy access to books and videos.

I think what I like most about the Farmers’ Market is that it’s ever-changing. I like attending the Davis Farmers Market (which is one of the oldest markets in the state), but I prefer Woodland because I can make a closer connection with the vendors.

Maybe I’m getting old, but it’s nice seeing familiar faces every Saturday. It’s also nice “shooting the breeze” with people who live in the community.

In any respect, as we transition from April to May and continue on into summer, now is a good time to turn out and show your support for bees and agriculture.

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.