VOICES Summer markets are back

I’ve mentioned this before but I’ll mention it again, when we think of seasons, we don’t really think in terms of the “o cial” designations, do we? You know what I mean. e o cial start of seasons based on solstices or whatever. No, we tend to think of them based on the school calendar or holiday schedule. Yes, the actual rst day of summer is June 21, but everybody thinks of it as being between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

So, that means that most of our favorite summer activities have already started. One of the things a lot of us look forward to, once the weather warms up, is the Golden Farmer’s Market. at started last weekend and will be continuing every Saturday until Oct. 7.

If you have never been there, you should check it out. It’s produced and managed by the Golden Chamber of Commerce and has been a long-standing tradition in the Golden community. eir goal is to contribute to the success of local food growers and producers, as well as other businesses, and to create kind of a vibrant community gathering every week. e revenue gener-

Avenue Flashes

ated from vendor sales commissions helps to cover market operating expenses and directly bene ts a lot of small businesses and builds the economic development of the Golden Community. e event is located in the west parking lot of the Golden Public Library at 1019 10th Street. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., so this is one of those morning things. But don’t worry, they always have farm fresh fruits and vegetables, of course, but they usually have meat, sh, poultry, wines, owers, plants, health and wellness items, jewelry, art, clothing plus co ee as well as a slew of food vendors so you can just get up, throw on some clothes and have your breakfast out in the sunshine. Now, I’ll be honest here, this year’s vendor list hasn’t been posted on their website yet, but that’s the kind of thing you can expect to nd there.

e best way to gure out what’s available there this year is to just drop by and take a look. Who knows? You might just stumble upon a new favorite that makes you want to get up early on a Saturday.

You can nd out more by going to the afore mentioned website at www.goldenfarmersmarket.org.

Golden is also home to other types of markets as well as a few di erent food halls. One of those is the new Morris and Mae Market the combines a food hall, bar, and artisan market together under one roof. If you haven’t been there and just happen to be a dog lover, then this Sunday, June 11 might be a good day to go take a peek at the place. ey will be hosting something called Tito’s Giveback and Pup Crawl…Yes, that’s “Pup”, not “Pub.” It’s a fundraising event to support a local animal rescue while having a great time with your furry people.

Although it all starts at Morris and Mae it continues on from there. It promises to be a fun- lled day of pup crawling with live music, where you and your canine companions can explore the local area and enjoy some delicious dog treats and adult beverages along the way. e drinks are for you, not the dogs. ey’ll probably have water for them. e event runs from 1-3 p.m. and tickets include admission to the crawl, two drinks at Morris and Mae and one drink at two of their nearby neighborhood establishments. A portion of every Tito’s cocktail sold is going back to support the local animal rescue. It costs $40 but you get four drinks and the good feeling of donating to a worthy cause.

Morris and Mae Market is located at 18475 West Colfax Ave, Suite 132 on the south side of Golden. e most visible landmark in the area is Avalanche Harley Davidson. It’s in a little shopping center next to that. For more information go to www. morrisandmae.com or just ask your dogs. ey probably already know all the details and that’s why they keep sitting by the door with their leashes in their mouths.

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/ drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.