Where were you on May 5, 1991?
If you were in Tinseltown, hankering for an heirloom tomato, or perhaps a loaf of artisanal bread, you might have found yourself drawn to the brand-new, just-starting-out, as-fresh-as-a-new-potato Hollywood Farmers' Market.
In the quarter century since its early-'90s start, the Market has become a beloved staple of the famous city, a weekly event that is a picket-fence-y, hey-neighbor alternative to its city's high-wattage reputation.
And it works, through and through, for Hollywood is clearly as much about berry patches as red carpets. In that spirit SEE-LA, which helms the every-Sunday market, is ready to fête the fruit-filled, flower-fabulous icon with a monthlong 25th anniversary party.
Make that a month of Sundays. Every Sunday in May — and there are five of them — something special will be afoot around the sizable, booth-packed Selma/Ivar spread. The kickoff Sunday, which is May 1, will include live music, busker-whimsical performances, and "an official ceremony celebrating the Market's history and future," one that will include community leaders, civic officials, and a number of "Legacy Farmers" (yep, you guessed right: Those are the vendors who've been with the Hollywood Farmers' Market since day #1).
The four Sundays to follow will feature demos by big-name chefs and other special doings.
What farmer has been your constant stop-by when you visit the Market with your bags or basket in hand? Homeboy Bakery? J & P West Coast Seafood? Living Lettuce? Weiser Family Farms? Loyal visitors have their gotta-have-it favorites.
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City Council Member Michael Woo made the initial suggestion about an urban-based farm fresh gathering, one that would provide "a safe, weekly community event for all" as well as supporting Golden State farmers and those who make food and goods in the immediate LA area.
Level achieved, clearly; the Hollywood Farmers' Market is a star to both its nearest neighbors and those people who travel in for miles to shop, chat, and join the homespun and delicious weekly rite each Sunday.
The stars in Hollywood, it turns out, aren't just on the sidewalks, but in the booths, and along the thoroughfares near Selma and Ivar.
