Trending: Square Tomatoes Craft Fair

Is Yolo ready for a monthy crafts fair? Artists and artisans of the Square Tomatoes Crafts Fair think so.

“Portland and Eugene, Oregon, are famous for their weekly crafts fairs, but no one from Sacramento to Colusa has a regular crafts fair,” says organizer Sally Parker. “It could be great for this town.”

After its debut in August and a successful outing in September, Square Tomatoes returns Sunday, October 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sixth and G streets. Activities will include learning round-robin storytelling and making Day-of-the-Dead skull pendants out of polymer clay. Parker will tell the story “High Noon in the Twilight Zone.” “High Noon” relates the adventures of an anti-social corpse who refuses to decompose or stop talking until he meets his match in a mediocre violinist.

The fair’s venue is on the south side of the Davis Food Co-op.

Parker, a Davis jeweler, is running Square Tomatoes on the model of a farmers’ market, with artisans taking their products directly to customers and avoiding the cost of a middleman. Vendors are selected by a jury; artists, artisans, food vendors and musicians are invited to apply online at the Square Tomatoes Crafts website, www.squaretomatoescrafts.com.

The fair provides comfort zones — a booth set aside for visitors with wicker chairs, free iced tea and shade.

“I want visitors to have a chance to relax, meet people, and stay for a while,” Parker said.

The fair is sponsored by Davis Dollars, Monticello Cuisine, the Pence Gallery, The Artery and the Davis Food Co-op. Davis Dollars are accepted at all booths.

Why the name, Square Tomatoes? The fair is named after Davis’ most famous but controversial agricultural invention, the square tomato. It’s meant as a spoof, Parker says.