Park Delta Bay welcomes the Sunday Market to its central meadow on June 09th, 2024. The hours are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. An anticipated dozen vendors will stage their colorful pop-ups on the lovely grounds to welcome visitors. Though the venerable Market Tent might not make a reappearance due to finally showing its age, shade from adjacent trees will afford comfortable resting to customers as they stroll, enjoy lunch, and listen to the entertainment.
Randy Carey, singer-songwriter from the Rancho Cordova area, returns to the idyllic setting where he loves to perform. “Delta time is the right time,” he says, and no one could disagree. The market sponsor, Delta Bay Foundation, tried a new vendor for its spring event, Comal Coffee. The couple who runs that food truck found favor with their pastries, espresso drinks, and breakfast sandwiches. They have expanded their food menu and will offer two types of egg sandwiches, with and without ham; and steak sandwiches for the lunch crowd. Of course, their delicious, customized coffee drinks pair perfectly with their food. But for those wanting something with a bit of bite, Market Manager Corinne Corley will have a beer tent selling cold cans of brew and, by popular demand, both water and soft drinks.
Corley notes that the June 09th event marks the anniversary of the inauguration of the Sunday Market. For those who don’t remember, she recounts the story of herself and Foundation president Eric Chiu sitting on the deck of her tiny house at Park Delta Bay in the spring of 2020. With the pandemic raging and lockdown tightening its hold on California and the country, Chiu and Corley studied the list of what could go forward under the strict rules then in place. Outdoor markets topped the short array of permissible activities and provided a perfect foil for the mission of the Foundation, to promote the culture, commerce, community, and conservation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“We said to each other, ‘Let’s do it!’, and then thought about what schedule would be tenable. “‘The Sunday Market’ seemed like a perfect title. How could anyone forget when it occurred?”
In the first season, the vendors sold at tables staged six feet from each other, wore masks, and staged hand-sanitizer throughout. In subsequent years, as the pandemic lifted, the staging relaxed. From weekly, the scheduled evolved to bi-monthly with seasonal special events. “A monthly summer schedule gives the vendors time to re-stock, and nicely dovetails with the many events taking place throughout our community,” Corley explains.
The fifth year sees a continuation of the bounty of offerings marked by the Sunday Market’s past. “Lavender Lovelies” features sachets, candles, soaps, and linen sprays, along with culinary finishing salts and herb teas. Delorse’s Designs has brought such endearing products as biblical journals and now offers unique tumblers the decor of which has been fabricated by sublimation. Customers can browse the hand-crocheted flowers, keychains, candles, and tumblers designed and made by three generations of women selling as Ruthie Pears Creates. Other vendors sell artistic t-shirts, adorable gnomes, home decor, and hand-made jewelry. “We’re thrilled that one of our favorite ladies has returned,” Corley notes, “Anna Leontine Ortiz of ALO Boutique left the area for a while, but she’s back!” Corley also notes that a best-selling product, Coco’s Soy Wax Candles, continues as a market mainstay. Corley expects at least a dozen diverse sellers. “We love our vendors,” she says. “They know they are welcome, and can come if they want, so we could have more.”
The June 09th Sunday Market reprises one of the most popular features, a Customer Appreciation Drawing. Participating vendors will contribute products to comprise a gift basket. Every customer making a purchase at the market receives a ticket and enters the drawing. At 2:00 p.m. when the market closes, a disinterested party will be recruited to pull the winning ticket. The winner will be notified to stop by the Park office at their convenience to claim their prize.
At the Spring Market, local farmer Michelle Burke stopped by with baby goats and bunnies as well as market-mascot Weeda, her pet goose. “We might be able to bring babies this time,” Burke recently speculated. Vendors, volunteers, and visitors alike enjoyed communing with the furry critters at the last event, and certainly look forward to their return. Parents allow children to pet at their own risk, including the risk of being nagged for a pet rabbit!
Corley, who recently founded Mubdie’s: A Creative Collective, a shop in historic Isleton, notes that serving as the Market Manager brings her profound joy. “I’m not a particularly creative person myself,” she admits. “So I greatly appreciate the beautiful wares made by the market vendors. Being a part of this has certainly stepped up my gift-giving game!”
The Delta Bay Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt foundation and welcomes any Delta-based artist or maker to participate in the Sunday Market. Still operating on a grant received from an anonymous benefactor more than six years ago, the Foundation continues to afford vendor space without charge. Park Delta Bay hosts events sponsored by the Delta Bay Foundation without cost as a service to the community. For information on the Sunday Market, contact Corinne Corley by phone at 816-520-9152 or by email at ccorleyjd@gmail.com. For directions to the park or information about long-term lots or vacation spaces, call the park office at 916-777-5588.
See you at the Sunday Market!
