Manhattan Beach farmers market turns five
- Cate Campbell finishes her strawberry lemonade as friends Lauren Torii and Camille Petroni begin gulping. Photos by Alene Tchekmedyian
The Manhattan Beach Farmers Market will celebrate its five-year anniversary on Tuesday at 13th Street and Morningside Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Local chefs, including Travis Lorton of The Strand House restaurant, which will open in August, will be cooking, using fresh ingredients offered at the market. Balloon-animal artists and stilt-walkers will entertain market-goers and kids.
“It’s an extra outlet to get exposure, reach out to customers that may or may not have been in our stores and reacquaint with customers whom we haven’t seen in a while,” said Michael Keegan, owner of Manhattan Beach Bread and Bagel.
Market-goers wait in line for lemonade and chicken skewers.
On a typical summertime Tuesday, parents in straw hats browse as their toddlers lie on picnic blankets and chomp on chicken kabobs and Nutella crepes.
Christina Kahn, a regular market visitor, munched on a turkey and cheese crepe next to her 11-year-old daughter, Cameron. Her 10-year-old son, Ellis, stood in line for a ham and cheese crepe.
“Tuesday’s their fun day. They get to walk from junior guards and gorge themselves with crepes and chicken,” Kahn said.
“Watermelon drinks,” her friend chimed in, “anything with sugar.”
“Of course there’s the kettle corn, always the grand finale of the farmers market,” Kahn added, laughing.
On the steps behind the crepe stand, a group of sun-kissed junior guards in oversized white junior guard t-shirts and wet hair gulped down cups of strawberry and raspberry lemonade. “We love coming to the farmers market,” said Cate Campbell, a freckled girl with a sun-streaked ponytail.
A percentage of the market’s proceeds go toward Growing Great, a program that visits local schools to educate children about healthy eating habits, said Mary Ann Varni, president of Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professional Association.
Keegan credits the city and merchants for the bustling Tuesdays. “It’s a testament to people working together to create a great vibe down there,” Keegan said. “And that’s why it’s successful.”