POSH BREWS, SAVORY SANDWICHES, music-filled Saturday evenings, and a thrumming vibe of OC's sweet, peel-laden history. It's not hard to see why public markets, as a popular concept, are on the up and up and up, and it is equally not hard to see why the Anaheim Packing District is so often cited as a public market success story. This is not a small feat, since the Orange County destination has only been around for a year (though the handsome historic building housing it, a former hub for citrus decades back, has called Anaheim home for considerably longer). That first year in business as one of the most talked-about social spots in the county will be celebrated on Saturday, Aug. 1, with a full day of lively to-dos around the Mission Revival, built-in-1919 Packing House.
THOSE LIVELY TO-DOS INCLUDE... a long afternoon of "Family Fun" -- think crafts, games, and more. There shall be right-in-front-of-you music, played from the Mezzanine Stage. (Question, Packing House regulars: Did you know that was the name? Or did you call it the "middle place with the music"? That works, too, though "Mezzanine Stage" is an elegant name.) A Farmers Park stage'll keep the sounds going, and there will be birthday bingo, too. Above and beyond and around and in the middle of all of this is the fact that the Anaheim Packing House will still be doing what it is doing during its birthday celebrations: Making delish, gooey, rich short rib poutine at The Kroft and crunchy fish 'n chips at The Chippy and creamy Pecan Praline ice cream at Hans'. Think of it like any day at the Anaheim Packing House, but with music and fun stuff to see and do. Wait. That's every day at the public market, nowadays, really. Though turning up on its first birthday, and wishing it well in the years ahead, seems like a nice thing to do for a Packing House frequenter to do.
THE PARTY'S ON... from noon to 9 p.m.-ish on Saturday, Aug. 1.
