Large turnout for Fresno State opening-day corn sales despite COVID-19, heat warnings
The coronavirus pandemic and heat warnings didn’t keep hundreds from a Fresno favorite: Opening day of corn sales at Fresno State.
A larger-than-normal crowd was at the university’s Gibson Farm Market when it opened at 8 a.m. Memorial Day with around 320 shoppers waiting compared to the normal 200 to 250, said Geoff Thurner, a spokesperson for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences & Technology.
Andrew Sorge and his 5-year-old daughter Mia were among the hundreds to buy yellow and white corn at the university on Monday.
The Fresno man said he’s been coming to the opening day of corn sales since he was about his daughter’s age. He brought Mia along to continue the tradition – despite the girl saying she doesn’t really like corn.
“Keep living life, but do it safely,” said Sorge, who works as a mental health clinician. Stay positive, keep enough physical social distance, but keep in contact with others – don’t isolate yourself emotionally, he added.
Like many, they wore face masks in line and talked about the importance of only leaving home for essential services or exercise. Shoppers waited in one of two lines – one outside for bagged corn, and another to enter the market – and were asked to stay six feet apart.
Others who came out for corn included restaurant workers from Stockton who were in Fresno to visit family, and an in-home care provider sent by his wife to fetch some corn for dinner. Supporting Fresno State, small businesses and farmers – along with the sweetness of the corn – were popular talking points among shoppers.
Fresno State corn can be purchased from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Corn is harvested daily from 80 acres around campus and is expected to last into September. The Gibson Farm Market will update its Facebook page with the latest.
Monday’s batch of corn was gone by the afternoon, with 34,521 ears of corn sold, Thurner said. More will be harvested and sold Tuesday morning.
In the next few days, all shoppers may have to go inside the market for corn. Bagged corn available outside will likely only be an option for a short time.
Thurner said the market can go through 50 to 60 bins of corn in a day – as much as 42,000 ears of corn. Corn wasn’t being rationed Monday. Shoppers were able to buy as much as they wanted, staff said.
Thurner said those waiting for corn at 8 a.m. got through the line in about an hour and 15 minutes. Some around 9:30 a.m. said they got in and out in about a half hour. Staff said the lines were moving faster than normal.
A limited number of shoppers were allowed inside the market. Cashiers wore face shields, and hand sanitizer was available. About two dozen Fresno State students were working at the sale.
This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
