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Newhall isn't even a mini-mini Santa Monica farmers market. / Photo by pink_fish13 via LAist's flickr pool.
The answer to the above question, apparently, is when it's held in Old Town Newhall.
We heart farmers markets because it allows us to buy our foods directly from the growers. We get fruits and veggies without that waxy residue found at most grocery stores while feeling good about supporting our local economy. And oh yeah, it just all tastes so…much… better.
So this LAist poster and SCV resident got all excited when we saw a press release from the City of Santa Clarita announcing the re-opening of the spring/summer farmers market in Newhall. Bands from CalArts would play, the mayor would speak and there would be purveyors selling their harvests. In its continuing effort to make Downtown Newhall the next Old Town Pasadena, they moved the farmers market from a parking lot to the street, closing off a block of Market (during rush hour traffic). But whatever, it's Newhall, and many folks don't drive down Main Street anyway.
So imagine our surprise when we showed up to the "farmers market" around 6 pm and saw the following: a tamale stand; a sausage stand; a granola stand; a Whole Foods information booth, as well as a lemonade stand (to wash down the aforementioned tamales and sausages, probably.) Oh yeah, and tucked away in the corner was a solitary produce vendor.
Today's edition of the local paper The Signal, of course, doesn't tell the real story of this farmers market debacle. If you look at the story's tightly cropped shots at the farmers market, you'll see that it was taken at the only produce stand.
Sorry, Newhall, but seven or eight stands does not a farmers market make. Go to Santa Monica, Hollywood or maybe Pasadena to see how it's really done. Either that, or rename it the Newhall Farmer Market.
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Went here for the first time yesterday as well and I agree on all points. But don't shortchange the Sunday market at College of the Canyons. It may not be huge, but it does draw about 35 vendors, about 20-25 of which are actual produce farmers. It's run by Ventura County Farmers' Market - their only market held outside of Ventura Co. and pulls may farmers that you'll also see every Wednesday and Saturday in Santa Monica. I go there every week and given the options, it has nothing to apologize for. Draws a decent crowd too, considering the population is skewed towards consumers of convenient, reliable big supermarket food.
It's a wonder why they couldn't get some farmers who come on Sunday to make it to Newhall on Thursday. Santa Clarita really is the best situated city in LA county in terms of proximity to the farmers. It's adjacent to Ventura County by way of the 126 and it's the first city in LA County along the 5, which makes for a much easier trip for all the central valley growers that you see in markets throughout LA.
But this one? yeah, "farmer" market is exactly what I thought, too.
There are not more vendors because the farmers have gotten smart and moved out of the SCV and back into LA to seek profits elsewhere. SCV (as a whole) does not embrace the concept of wanting a Farmers Market in their backyard as these markets tend to have a history of bringing a criminal element and illegal aliens to an area. As for the lack of participation of fruit vendors and farmers in Newhall, you can almost certainly find them parked on Newhall Ave (between Lyons Ave and 16th Street)...usually 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. USE CAUTION WHEN ENTERING THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THOUGH, AS THIS PART OF TOWN IS KNOWN FOR ITS HIGH GANG ACTIVITY...Other than that, it's a decent Farmers Market, or should I say, Mercado.
we also have more than our fair share of angry white males who have never been to a farmer's market (see above)
I didn't get to check them out last Sunday, but the lady who works the table at downtown's flea mkt. said that they would be adding produce vendors.
If so, GOOD BY RALPH'S!!
http://www.southparkfleamarket.com/
mic dee, why does everything always have to be about race and why did you have to make a racially predudiced tirade about me? I do not appreciate that…Did I come right off the bat and assume that you are a flaming liberal who’s sole belief is helping promote reverse discrimination against the white man? NO! Though, I thought you’d have posted a slightly more intellectual reply than you did. If you knew me, you'd know that I am first and foremost 100% AMERICAN; with a heritage consisting of 1/4 British, 1/4 Native American (Apache), 1/4 Sonoran and the rest various Asian from Peru. But race or race relations isn't (or shouldn't be) the issue here. BTW, the Farmers Market IS, what it IS!!
agreed, we were a bit thrown when we rounded the corner and saw the "farmer" market, but we made the best of it. We found the makings for a delicious salad, and enjoyed the drum circle. If you drove from afar, I can see why you'd be disappointed, but for locals, I say it's better than no farmer's market. It's a start.