Rose Garden Resident

News

Farmers to sell produce at new Rose Garden site this season

By Mary Gottschalk

The Rose Garden area will get a farmers market for the third summer in a row, promises Larry Clark, president of The Alameda Business Association.

The 2007 market will be Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., from May 26 through Sept. 29.

The market will move from its original location but stay on The Alameda. It will move from the Downtown College Prep parking lot at Lenzen Avenue across The Alameda to the parking lot at the corner of Hanchett Avenue.

"The reason is it's more compact, more central and more noticeable, and that will help us in terms of attracting people," Clark says.

Additionally, Clark says there were complaints about having to cross The Alameda to reach the old location.

"Most of our customers are coming from that side of the street," he says.

Clark says he's in the process of interviewing candidates to "manage the market on a professional basis."

He says he expects the manager, who will be paid by the ABA, to attract more farmers and more customers.

The 2006 farmers market was run on a volunteer basis under Clark's direction after he gained ABA board support to terminate the second year of a two-year contract with the California Farmers Markets Association, operator of the first market in 2005.

The 2005 market opened with 47 vendors, but the 2006 market averaged less than a quarter of that number.

Clark says about 10 of the 2006 farmers growing produce and flowers have said they will return.

This year's market will end in September, rather than October, Clark says, because "farmers run out of product. It's between seasons and not a great time to have a farmers market."

The festival aspect Clark introduced last year will continue, but change from a weekly basis to monthly.

"We're looking for volunteers for the farmers market to do as much or as little as time allows," Clark says. "Just call me."

Clark can be reached at 408.436.8581.