Yuma Lettuce Days To Sprout Anew "Down On The Farm" In 2015

YUMA, ARIZONA - Yuma Lettuce Days will sprout up "down on the farm" in 2015, the Yuma Visitors Bureau (YVB) announced today. The annual "feastival" that celebrates the area's agricultural abundance will take place Feb. 28 and March 1 at the University of Arizona's Yuma Agricultural Center (YAC), a working research farm in the Yuma Valley just west of town.

The venue change is part of an expanded partnership between Yuma Visitors Bureau and the University of Arizona, explained YVB Executive Director Linda Morgan and YAC Director Dr. Kurt Nolte.

"Holding Lettuce Days in the middle of a real farm will make it even more authentic and unique," Morgan said. "We are excited about the new interactive experiences we can offer on site and are delighted to forge a stronger partnership with our friends at UA."

The farm for several years has grown a special field of assorted produce where participants in YVB's "Field to Feast" agricultural tours get a chance to harvest vegetables that go into their lunch and more to take home.

The idea to transplant Lettuce Days grew from that seed, Morgan and Nolte said.

"With ongoing riverfront and downtown development, Lettuce Days was outgrowing its location at the Quartermaster Depot," Morgan said. "I reached out to Kurt, and the more we talked, the more excited we both got about all the fun things we could do there, from farm equipment demonstrations to hay rides, to a petting zoo with farm animals."

"Hosting Lettuce Days is a great opportunity to show what we do at the Ag Center to a larger audience," Nolte added. "We're first of all teachers, so any time we can help educate the public about the importance of agriculture and the hard work and hard science that goes into healthy food, it's a win for us and the ag community."

There are still lots of details to be worked out, but Nolte said YAC staff is already preparing to plant 5 to 10 acres of grass as a green footprint for the festival, with adjoining fields to be graded and prepped for parking. An outdoor kitchen for cooking demos is in the works, and Lettuce Days will be able to utilize existing buildings and infrastructure like walk-in coolers, labs and conference rooms.

The move is all about offering "more" to festivalgoers, Morgan said.

"We'll still have everything you always loved about Lettuce Days, like celebrity chefs and cooking demonstrations, great entertainment, the giant salad bar, and the farmers market," she said. "But we'll have more room, more parking, and more real 'farm stuff' to see and do because we're bringing folks to the farm instead of bringing the farm to town."

She pointed out that the actual move is only a bit more than seven miles, or less than 15 minutes by car.

"Folks who come to Lettuce Days will still be close to historic downtown, the beautiful riverfront and great shopping, dining and hotels," Morgan said. "But now Lettuce Days will also give them a taste of country down on the farm."

Major Lettuce Days sponsors are on board with the venue change, Morgan said.

"We met yesterday with local representatives of Dole, Tanimura & Antle, JV Smith Companies and Reichman Ag Products, and all of them indicated that they are excited about the change and are looking forward to continuing to give back to the Yuma community through this event," Morgan said.

Lettuce Days wraps up a week of local ag-tivities that begins with the Southwest Ag Summit, an industry conference slated for Feb. 24-26, 2015. The Quartermaster Depot will continue to serve as the venue for YVB's gala Harvest Dinner celebrating Yuma's ag community Feb. 26.

The first Yuma Lettuce Days was held on Main Street in historic downtown in 1999. The festival adopted a more culinary flavor and relocated to the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park in 2011. The same year, it received a Governor's Tourism Award as Arizona's best special event in a community of 75,000 or greater population.

Street address for the Yuma Agricultural Center is 6425 W. 8th St., Yuma, 85364. Per Google maps, the location is just 7.1 miles from Yuma Quartermaster Depot, less than 15 minutes drive from downtown in normal traffic.

Yuma Visitors Bureau markets the Yuma area within the travel and tourism industry and to the general public. Direct travel spending in Yuma County in 2012 totaled more than $657 million, supported 6,660 jobs and generated more than $40 million in state and local tax revenues.

Yuma's population nearly doubles in the winter months, thanks to more than 23,000 spots in RV parks and resorts. The community also offers nearly 4,300 hotel rooms, conference and meeting facilities, and three modern casinos.

To plan your visit, head to http://www.visityuma.com or call 800-293-0071.

Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's sunniest spot, Yuma offered free meals to guests "every day the sun doesn't shine" for a full year during Arizona's Centennial. Final score? Sunshine 365, Gloom 0.

Contact:

Ann Walker, 928-376-0100 (office), 928-210-9044 (cell), ann@visityuma.com

Linda Morgan, 928-376-0100 (office), linda@visityuma.com

Dr. Kurt Nolte, 928-726-3904, knolte@ag.arizona.edu

* Visitor Information Center 1-800-293-0071, http://www.visityuma.com *