QUINCY — The city of Quincy is preparing for the annual Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day which will be held Sept. 13 this year.  Leia Watkins, who became president of Quincy FCAD Spring of this year, said this event provides an opportunity to bring the community together and educate about the importance of local farmers. 

“What I see this event doing is it brings everyone together around the foundation of the town,” said Watkins. “Because without agriculture, I don’t know that Quincy would be here.” 

FCAD is held at the Quincy Middle School and features an afternoon of entertainment on a stage, a car show, displays of arts and crafts, a quilt show, a fun run, food booths, fresh produce sales and a parade. The parade will also include farm equipment which will also be present for viewing around the event as well. 

Tours will also be held where people will be taken from the event to local processing plants and farms.  

“I think we have two this year, which is Ken Lacy’s Geology tour and then the Cruises in the Crops,” said Watkins. 

The most major way that FCAD celebrates the local farmers is by choosing a Farm Family of the Year. Watkins said they will usually choose a generational family that has been farming in Quincy for a long time. 

“Especially looking for families who have been farming in the area for two, three, or four generations,” she said.  

According to the City of Quincy website, FCAD started in 1981 when Quincy farmer Dennis Higashiyama was listening to the radio and heard a story about a woman who had no idea where her food came from. Higashiyama came up with the idea to have a day in place where the public could see firsthand what agriculture is about and give the farmers some needed recognition. 

Watkins joined FCAD as a secretary in 2020, which was the year the event had to be cancelled due to COVID. In 2021, she said the big question was how they were going to get the celebration back up and running. 

“I think our first event, since I was involved, we may have had one food vendor besides (The Rotary Club), and it’s gone from this very small event to (becoming) bigger and better every year,” she said. 

    Customers browse the produce at the Quincy FFA Alumni sale during last year’s FCAD. Each year the event features sales of fresh local produce.
  

    FCAD features a car show along with farm equipment driving through the parade.
  

    A dancing horse and its owner ride in the FCAD parade last year. Quincy FCAD president Leia Watkins said the dancing horses are planned to make an appearance again this year.