Chico’s downtown Thursday Night Market made its first appearance of the season this week.

The vendors that participate in the markets are from the Chico and Northern California region and sell different types of produce, juices and crafts.

Almost all of the vendors have been participating in the markets for years and some since the beginning.

“We’ve been here since it started,” said Marie Boyd, a vendor who sells an assortment of flavored almonds, almond butters and other nuts.

Although the vendors and Chico residents were excited for the reopening of the market, the California drought has taken its toll.

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown announced mandatory water regulations for the state of California.

The State Water Resources Control Board will implement these regulations to reduce water usage by 25 percent.

“I had to hire someone to help monitor my water,” Boyd said. “We used to water for about two or three days at a time, but we can’t anymore. We have to cut back.”

Although the new water regulations have been introduced to conserve what little is left, it also puts a greater strain on farmers and will lessen the amount of crops yielded, resulting in less produce at the Thursday Night Market.

Courtney Weaver can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.