SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The GreenHaven Pocket Farmers Market (GHP) switching from Saturdays to Sundays proved to be a great success on Easter Sunday. The change, made at the beginning of this year, allowed vendors to offer better fruits and vegetables on Sundays.

Organizers wondered if customers would enjoy spending Easter Sunday at the GreenHaven Pocket Farmers Market. They promoted it as a real lifesaver for last-minute shoppers. They also figured that many women enjoy shopping.

The morning began at 9 a.m. with a cup of coffee, mocha or hot chocolate from the coffee truck. While sipping a warm drink, it was easy to stroll over to Sweetbrier Bakery for a scone and maybe a loaf of bread or a baguette.

Elks Lodge 6’s Vic Cima and Glen Smith were each in charge of different events at the Lodge on Easter Sunday. Both noted the large number of young mothers in attendance.

“There were a few families with a red wagon being pulled by the oldest child, with siblings sitting in the wagon holding a bouquet from KC Flowers for Mom,” said Cima, the GreenHaven Pocket Farmers Market general manager. “In some wagons, fruits and vegetables were tucked between the riders’ legs. It was as if Mom knew a visit to GHP wouldn’t be complete without stopping by Efron’s Nuno Family Farms.”

Cima also noted that it seemed many of the young mothers had visited the market’s website. 

“They seemed to know the vendors as though they had been on ghpfarmersmarket.com,” he said.

Smith, who chaired the Elks Lodge 6’s special Mother’s Day Brunch, said that the 90 guests all enjoyed the special menu featuring egg casserole, fruit salad and a ham-carving station, plus the regular menu of bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, coffee and juice.

“We did have a number of young mothers there but no newborns,” Smith said. 

All of the tables were beautifully decorated with flowers in the center.

Flowers were also a part of Elks 6 Lodge’s traditional Mother’s Day Tribute, which began at 1 p.m. 

“All attending received a white carnation if their mother was deceased or a red one if their mother was still alive,” Lodge Chaplain Shannon Lewis explained.

The Elks’ “Exalted Ruler’s Handbook” states, “The family responsibility of every officer comes first.” 

Elks Lodge 6’s Exalted Ruler, Rob Moore, has two very young children, so it was no surprise that he asked Past Exalted Ruler Ron Roberts to conduct the Lodge’s Mother’s Day Tribute. Rob had just returned from Anaheim, where he attended the California-Hawaii Elks Association convention. It was clear that he had also taken the opportunity to visit Disneyland before returning 405 miles north to Sacramento.

James Nevans said, “Just so you know, I was in Anaheim mainly on Elks Lodge business.
 Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 contributed over $11,000 of the nearly $5 million raised for the Major Project, a procession of lodge donations supporting in-home therapy for disabled children.”

Nevans also noted, “We ranked third out of nine North Central District lodges in per-capita giving.”

He made it home in time to attend the Elks’ traditional tribute to mothers.

Elks Lodge 6 Loyal Knight Nicole Holton Alvarado said, “It was a very memorable tribute to have Audra Jefferson close out our Mother’s Day Tribute with two beautiful songs.”

Audra and her brother, Aaron Jefferson, who is also a member of the Lodge and serves as Lecturing Knight, both took part in the tribute. Audra sang “You Are So Beautiful” and Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable.”