Farmers, bakers, vendors and community members celebrated the Lawrence Farmers Market’s 50th anniversary Saturday morning with tattoos, tie-dye and live music.
The market started in 1976 with three farmers “selling veggies off the back of their trucks in the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce parking lot,” according to the market’s website.
Today, there are more than 75 vendors, all located in Kansas and within 50 miles of the market.
During Saturday’s celebration, community members tie-dyed, hula hooped and won prizes at the cake walk and scavenger hunt. Best Friend Tattoo offered flash tattoos of 70’s-inspired produce grown in Kansas.
Signage around the event also featured 1970’s facts, including pop culture, the cost of living and 70’s slang.
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Maya Smith (she/her), reporting intern, has worked with The Lawrence Times since February 2026. She was born and raised in Lawrence and is a journalism student at the University of Kansas. She works at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications as a communications assistant and has been a freelance reporter for the Kansas Reflector since 2024. Read her work for the Times at this link.
