05
Jul
July 4th 2026 Market Review
By Paul Bullock & Mary Gates
Wow! What a busy weekend it was as we celebrated 250 years of our country’s independence! First Friday Art Trail and Buffalo Springs Lake Fireworks started us off. Then on Saturday, The Fourth on Broadway Parade and Lubbock’s own Music and Fireworks Celebration. In between all this we were able to sneak in our Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market. We had vendors ready to sell, and customers ready to support us. It was warm right from the starting bell, but what do you expect…it’s July.
Our Kids Korner, sponsored by Claro Dental, had their booth outfitted with balloons, and had a bean bang toss for the kids. Our watermelon bar was a big hit, with The Mandujano Brothers Produce supplying us with their sweet Pecos County Watermelons. The produce from our local farmers is pouring in now with so much to choose from. We have peaches, corn, blackeyed peas, onions, okra, carrots, several varieties of peppers, tomatoes, all kinds of squash, cucumbers, red potatoes and, as mentioned, Pecos watermelons and their wonderful cantaloupes too!
We welcomed Very Berry Sweet Creations back to the Market with their pancakes and refreshing iced drinks. Lil’ Bite of Heaven came supplied with delicious mini bread loafs like banana, pumpkin, zucchini, lemon blueberry and more.
We had out of town guests from San Antonio, Cedar Park, and Roswell, New Mexico, along with people returning to spend the fourth with their families… one all the way from Washington D.C. It’s always great having families show up for the Market, and we encourage our locals to bring their visitors to see our array of goods. We have handmade art by local artisans, like purses and gift boxes made with recycled fabrics. The Punk Junk which recycles metal pieces and welds them into incredible artwork. We have paracord bracelets and handmade necklaces and earrings. We welcomed a new vendor, Film By Sage, who has beautiful photography prints for sale. We have children’s books and handmade crocheted plushies. If you have upcoming events like birthdays, weddings, or baby showers that require gifts, we hope you will stop by and see what we have to offer.
We would like to invite community members who participate in the SNAP program to come by early and double your dollars. We have our SNAP booth set up every weekend to help you through the process of redeeming our credits. There are plenty of fresh healthy fruits and vegetables available for your families. Our Market is for the whole family with easy baby stroller and wheelchair access and indoor bathrooms that are kept clean and secure.
We are family friendly, and that includes your dogs. This week we decided to double up on our Tornado Industrial/Arts Dog of the Day. Our local winner wowed the Market with the shaggy dog look! Meet Beetle Bug. Our out of town dog visitor from Cedar Park, Hank Williams, sure was excited to be at the Market! So, both dogs were presented with the coveted Red Bandanna declaring them Dog of the Day!
It was a beautiful Saturday morning and it got our 4th of July celebration started off in a great way! Thank you to all our vendors and customers who chose our Market on this special occasion. We will be back on Saturday July 11th so mark you calendar. We hope you will spend time with us and support our hardworking farmers and arts and craft vendors. We are located in the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts Plaza located at 5th and Ave. J. Our hours are from 9:00 to 1:00. We look forward seeing you there.