By MARY TURNER
The following recap of the Spring Seed Exchange was written by the Free Market organizers for the Odd Fellows Lodge newsletter and is reprinted here with permission.
“Odd Fellows Lodge #170 Hosts Knights Ferry Free Market Spring Seed Exchange
On February 22, 2026, Odd Fellows Lodge No. 170 welcomed the Knights Ferry Free Market Collective for its annual Spring Seed Exchange. Under sunny skies and a cool breeze hinting at the coming spring season, community members gathered to celebrate gardening, sustainability, and neighborly connection.
When the lodge doors opened at noon, gardeners and residents of Knights Ferry were greeted by a 30-foot table stretching through the center of the lodge, filled with free seeds, plants, and fruit. The lodge quickly filled with guests exchanging seeds, sharing gardening knowledge, and taking home new varieties to plant in their gardens.
Local vendors also filled the lodge, while the Free Market Collective hosted a raffle fundraiser to support their monthly food distribution and other community events.
By the end of the afternoon, thousands of seeds had found new homes in gardens throughout the Central Valley.
The event also highlighted the growing Knights Ferry Community Garden located behind the beloved Odd Fellows Lodge. More than 40 native plants were recently added to the garden and successfully overwintered. This spring, the space is expected to bloom with a wide variety of native species suited to the Central Valley landscape.
The garden is designed to support pollinators, including monarch butterflies, with milkweed and other year-round flowering plants creating a welcoming habitat.
Organizers expressed gratitude to the Odd Fellows Lodge for hosting the event and supporting community gatherings that encourage Friendship, Love, and Truth.”
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The annual Civil War Reenactment is right around the corner! This year’s event will take place March 21–22, so be sure to mark your calendars. I’ll have the full battle schedule and additional details for you in next week’s column.
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Ongoing Events:
Odd Fellows Breakfast - 1st Sunday of the month @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Free Market - 2nd Tuesday 3:30pm @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Taco Tuesday - 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon
Thankful Thursdays - 1st & 3rd Thursdays - Free meal with drink purchase 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon
Upcoming Events:
School Board Meeting - March 12, 5:30pm @ Knights Ferry School
Water Board Meeting - March 19, 7pm @ The Miller’s Hall
Civil War Reenactment - March 21-22 - more info to come!
Annual Community Club Spaghetti Dinner - March 21, 5pm-8pm @ The Community Club
Knights Ferry Classic Car Show - April 4, 10am - 3pm @ Main Street, Knights Ferry
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Do you have any exciting Knights Ferry local news, upcoming events, historical facts about the area, jokes or recipes to share? Contact Mary Turner at knightsferrynews@gmail.com
