You can know all the tales about one of the most storied corners in Los Angeles, from the days back in the early '30s when farmers sold vegetables from their trucks to its annual Harvest Festival to the fact that it makes some of the most famous toffee in all of California (at Littlejohn's Candies, natch).
But if you don't talk about Gilmore Field when talking about the Original Farmers Market, well, you haven't quite knocked it out of the park. The Hollywood Stars once played baseball not too far from that fabled corner — Third & Fairfax, of course — making it the perfect subject for the market's first free outdoor movie screening.
That's right, Farmers Market, which started in 1934, is about to have a big "first-ever" on Saturday, Aug. 13 when it screens 1976's "The Bad News Bears" on its Market Plaza.
The free happening is courtesy of both the market and the Skirball Cultural Center, which currently has two sporting exhibitions on view at its Mulholland-close campus: "Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American" and "The Unauthorized History of Baseball in 100-Odd Paintings: The Art of Ben Sakoguchi."
While the movie must wait for the sun to dip below the market's iconic clocktower — meaning the reel rolls at 8 p.m. — there are other baseball-riffic to-dos happening ahead of the film, from "baseball-themed art projects" to music to treats for sale.
That portion of the night steps up to the mound from 5 to 8 o'clock.
You can't show with your own chair or snacks, but blankets and pillows are a home run, if that's your pleasure. There will be a few chairs there, but bet they'll fill up fast.
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As you plunk down upon your blanket, will you chat about the history of Gilmore Field, which once sat near the street that's now The Grove Drive? And how the crack of balls connecting with bats was one of the prominent sounds of the area, even perhaps rivaling the chimes of the Original Farmers Market clocktower?
Well, okay, you're right: Very few things can rival that quintessentially LA sound, it's true. Enjoy the film, the fun, the food at Farmers Market, and the baseball-sweet pleasures of late summer.
