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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sunday market in the works for downtown Dayton
DAYTON — Organizers are laying the groundwork for a Sunday market in downtown Dayton that would spotlight Miami Valley artists as well as local fruits and vegetables.
“We’ve got a lot of vendors interested in it,” said Lisa Helm, who is spearheading the project and who oversees the Garden Station at East Fourth Street and Wayne Avenue, the art park and community garden that would host the Sunday market.
The Garden Station Sunday Market still has some hurdles to overcome, Helm said, but she estimated there is about a 90 percent chance it will open Memorial Day weekend and will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday through Labor Day.
“Right now, there is no Sunday Farmers Market anywhere close by as far as we know,” Helm said.
The 2nd Street Public Market overseen by MetroParks operates a year-round Thursday-through-Saturday market — which includes several seasonal produce vendors every Saturday in the summer — at East Second and Webster streets nearby, but officials there do not view the fledgling farmers market as direct competition, since it will target smaller growers and will operate on a day when the 2nd Street Market is closed.
“I’m pretty much in favor of any way that local food gets out there to the public,” said Jimmy Harless, manager of the 2nd Street Public Market.
Luci Beachdell, who oversees MetroParks’ “Grow With Your Neighbor” community-garden program, is helping the Garden Station Sunday Market organizers establish vendor requirements and is assisting community gardeners to find outlets to sell their fruits and vegetables.
“We could afford to have a market open daily in the city,” Beachdell said.
Helm said she believes the new market will fill a niche rather than compete with any existing markets. And the Garden Station market will seek to attract artists, craft-makers and musicians in addition to growers.
In the next month, Helm said she and her fellow organizers hope to obtain necessary permits, establish guidelines for vendors and begin recruiting growers and artists who want to be a part of the new market.
For more information, visit the Garden Station Facebook page or send an e-mail to DaytonGardenStation@gmail.com.
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Ribbon-cutting today for new Kettering sports bar
A ribbon-cutting is scheduled to be held at 4:30 p.m. today, Feb. 24, for Monkeez Grill & Tavern, the new sports bar at 3808 Wilmington Pike in Kettering that we first told you about Jan. 4 and which suffered a setback before it finally opened in late January.
The Kettering Moraine Oakwood Chamber of Commerce will perform the ribbon-cutting.
Monkeez Grill & Tavern specializes in burgers, and its menu also includes salads, wings, soups and sandwiches. The sports bar has 13 flat-screen televisions. It is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 1 a.m. Sunday. For more information, call (937) 723-7888.
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