The Solano Turkey Trot was a significant first year event this Thanksgiving, drawing an estimated 1,500 participants. Arrangements included closing Suisun Valley Road through Suisun Valley most of the morning, signifying a level of importance only reserved to this point for actual emergency road work. But this was a consumer event, a mass episode of outdoor workout before feasting.
It is also an activity that might have been considered totally inappropriate to a quiet ag based valley just 10 years ago. But today, it fits the new consumer focused efforts of Suisun Valley.
Much has happened over this period, mostly due to funding for marketing created by the Suisun Valley Fund. Implemented in 2003 SVF has created the financial capacities to develop and bring branding to the Suisun Valley. Event and promotion activities, such as this are encouraged by these forces now at work in Suisun Valley. They are the outgrowth of strategy to build direct to consumer awareness for ag products available from wines to produce.
Recently all of this has coalesced with Suisun Valley Harvest Trails merging into Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association and bringing the evolution of Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers Association, who will sheppard consumer promotion for Suisun Valley going forward into the new decade.
But it is the visibility of external events, gaining support of Suisun Valley yet being conceived independantly, that begins to tell a story of efforts developing critical mass. Many kudos are in order to Margaret Perry Manzo who developed this event. And for an ag based valley finding success in becoming a consumer asset, and with that finding routes to economic sustainability that appeared to be vanishing just 10 short years ago.
