By Joseph Serna, Staff Writer
He has gotten the verbal OK from the city, and he’s running with it.
An idea born 12 years ago has finally become a reality for Dale Whitney. His Thursday farmers market, currently located at the Long Beach Health Department near Redondo Avenue and Willow Street, is moving to Bixby Knolls.
“I’ve lusted for this location for at least 12 years,” Whitney said, thinking back to when he originally wanted to move his Saturday market to the Bixby location. “We think the location has a lot of potential.”
The Thursday Harbor Area farmers market will be located on 45th Way and Atlantic Avenue, on the east side of Atlantic near the CVS Pharmacy and the post office starting Aug. 9.
Live music, face painters for children and local author Russ Parsons signing copies of his book “How to Pick a Peach” will all be featured at the grand opening celebration on Sept. 13, after the Labor Day holiday.
Whitney said because of the prime location on a main avenue, out of the “seclusion” of city buildings, the Thursday market can only be expected to grow.
He estimates by the Aug. 9 soft opening there will already be 20 vendors in the market, 14 farmers with various fruits and vegetables and six non-agricultural vendors, selling food ranging from popcorn to barbecued ribs.
The market will keep its same hours: from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a free produce drawing every week at 5 p.m.
Relocating to Bixby Knolls seemed impossible until 8th District Councilmember Rae Gabelich approached the market manager about a possible move late last year, Whitney said.
Eager to have his Thursday market substantially more visible just off Atlantic Avenue, Whitney began hammering out details with the city’s special events department.
It took months, but Whitney and the department were able to iron out an agreement over the city’s main concern–barricades.
The north end’s Type III barricades are relatively inexpensive and more visual, not a problem for Whitney. The problem lies in the city’s urging of water-filled K-rails, a plastic median-shaped barrier better for blocking vehicles.
They are expensive to fill up, and seem an unnecessary burden, Whitney said. Because this seems to be the only hurdle standing in the market’s way, Whitney said Long Beach has agreed to pay for the K-rails for the first eight weeks of use, a kind of testing period for their use.
After that period, Whitney said he is going to get rid of them and opt for something more practical, and cheaper–a line of farmers’ trucks blocking the south end.
“I don’t know why the city thinks those little water things are so wonderful,” he quipped. “We’ve got a drought going on. That’s a waste of water.”
He pointed to the Santa Monica farmers market, which also uses vehicles as barriers.
For information about Harbor Area Farmers Markets, go online to www.harborareafarmersmarkets.org.
