An assortment of goods can be found at farmers markets. File photo
A farmers market may be coming to Bird Rock this summer.
At last week's Bird Rock Community Council meeting, Philomene Offen, a member of the Bird Rock Seaside Market Committee, said that the third week of June has tentatively been targeted as the start-up date for the new market.
It would be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Fridays so as not to compete with the existing La Jolla farmers market held on Sundays at La Jolla Elementary School.
Anne McBee, market co-chairwoman, said it will be a "very small, intimate market really only geared toward the Bird Rock Community." It's been suggested that it could be held near the Starbucks-anchored strip mall at 5604 La Jolla Blvd.
Work to do McBee stressed that the new farmers market is very much a grassroots effort in its formative stages.
"There are many steps we have to go through," she said, "including getting permits from the city."
McBee added that the committee has been working with consultants to research what other farmers markets have done. She said the committee is looking for volunteers and anyone interested can e-mail her at amcbee@san.rr.com.
The next committee meeting will likely be at the end of April and will be listed on BRCC's Web site at www.birdrock.org. An update on the farmers market will be given at May's BRCC meeting.
Block party time While farmers market plans are finalized, details are shaping up for the seventh annual Taste of Bird Rock, the community's July 16 summer block party extravaganza, reported event co-chairwoman Felicia Parker.
She said the winner of the Taste of Bird Rock raffle prize will receive a catered dinner aboard a private yacht.
"There will be a lot of activities," Parker said, "and $5 raffle tickets are on sale for a two-hour cruise, with dinner for two to 12 people that a family has donated on their 64-foot yacht."
Parker added that Beaumont's restaurant will cater dinner aboard the yacht. Lupi's Italian restaurant will provide dessert and wine.
"We're capping ticket sales at 3,000," Parker said. This year's event theme is "opportunity through community."
Landscape changes Also at the April 7 meeting, held at the Masonic Lodge, council President Joe LaCava updated members on the status of Bird Rock's voter-approved Maintenance Assessment District (MAD), which taxes local residents and businesses to maintain community landscaping.
The local group will officially assume responsibility for upkeep of the commercial area's medians between Midway Street and Camino de la Costa on May 1, he said.
"This stretch has had some problems with overgrown plants, which in the near term we'll need to keep nice and low so there's no problems with pedestrians crossing," he said. Plans call for a review and update of the landscaping, which has drawn some criticism. The council has also been receiving an increasing number of complaints about electronically controlled roundabout crosswalks.
"There are a number of pavement flashers that simply don't work," said Patricia Drummond, who lives on Colima Street. "There are times when pedestrians push the button and the lights do not come on. ... It's a very busy street, particularly in the evenings."
LaCava said the two problem pavement flashers are at Midway and Colima streets. "These were the first two to be put in and they were designed different, and we've learned our lessons from them," he said. "We're working with the city on an alternative design to replace those. The problem now is to come up with the money."
BRCC's next meeting will be at 6 p.m. May 5 at Cass Street Grill, 5550 La Jolla Blvd.
Dave Schwab Dave Schwab is a reporter with the La Jolla Light. Contact Dave at (858) 875-5951 or daves@lajollalight.com.
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