farmers market

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Westover Market Appeals Zoning Decision — In spite of efforts by the county’s zoning enforcement office to limit its occupancy and its entertainment options, Westover Market’s Beer Garden is still a place where neighbors can gather to watch football and baseball games on a crisp fall day. The market has bought itself some time by appealing the zoning decision. In the meantime, the market’s mom and pop owners are trying to round up the $25,000-50,000 that will be needed to install new, code-compliant bathrooms. More from TBD.

Conservative Writer Says Murray Has a Chance — Conservative writer Jim Geraghty is impressed that incumbent congressman Jim Moran is “only” up 13 percent against challenger Patrick Murray. Blogging for the National Review Online, Geraghty said that in light of the numbers from the internal Murray poll, he’s picking the retired Army colonel as his “special crazy insane upset pick” in the upcoming mid-term elections. More from NRO.

Last Ballston Farmers Market of the Year — Today from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. the last Ballston Farmers Market of the year will be held in Welburn Square. (That is, if it’s not canceled due to rainy weather. “Rain or shine,” organizers now say.) More on the market from the Arlington Kids blog.

District Taco Has a Secret Admirer — The Arlington-based food cart District Taco was the subject of an ad in Craigslist’s missed connections section. DT’s secret admirer, it seems, is a movie star who’s in town working on a big Hollywood film. More from DCist.

Flickr pool photo by Chaita_1

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Great Day to Be Outside — It’s supposed to be a near-perfect day weather-wise. Why not stop by the Rosslyn or Ballston farmers markets, or take in some after-work outdoor tunes in Clarendon? See the hours and locations for each in our events calendar.

Go-Go Comes to Crystal City — This weekend, the Hyatt Regency Crystal City will host a late-night concert featuring some of the original legends of go-go. The Rare Essense: Past, Present and Future Reunion is expected to draw a large crowd on Saturday. Starting at 9:00 p.m. and ending at 3:00 a.m., the show will feature a special tribute to the late go-go pioneer Lil Benny. His original band, Rare Essence, will perform, along with EU and Sugar Bear.

McDonnell ABC Plan: 14 New Places to Buy Booze in Arlington? — Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to privatize liquor sales in Virginia would triple the number of stores selling booze in the Commonwealth. Arlington currently has seven state-run ABC retailers; assuming that the new licenses are evenly distributed throughout the state, that could mean Arlingtonians will have 14 new places to get their hooch. Grocery stores and other big-box stores would be the biggest beneficiaries of the new licenses, followed by drug stores and package stores. But first, McDonnell’s plan must be approved by a skeptical state legislature.

Write-Up for Willow — According to Washington Life Magazines’ Katie Test, “the patio at Willow Restaurant is the perfect place to say goodbye to summer.” Test writes that the patio’s lush greenery and Willow’s delicious, summery meals are just the thing to take your mind off the gradually falling temperatures.

Flickr pool photo by Allee574

New Stickers on Farmer’s Market Parking Meters

By ARLnow.com

Less than two weeks ago we warned you about the misleading parking meters in front of 1400 North Uhle Street, which seemed to suggest that you could park there on Saturday mornings. Which you can — until 5:00 a.m., when your car gets towed and you get fined (the result of parking restrictions for the Courthouse farmer’s market).

In any event, it seems that someone was listening. The meters have new stickers on them that indicate that parking is enforced Monday through Friday. The new stickers originally said there’s free parking on Saturday and Sunday, but the “SAT.” is crossed off.

Question: Is that enough? Or should there be a sticker on the meter itself indicating that parking is restricted and towing enforced on Saturday mornings (in addition to the “reserved for farmer’s market” signs on either side of the building)?

Warning: Do Not Park Here Tonight

By Scott Brodbeck

Do you want to get your car towed to a spot 50 feet away and get fined $50 for the privilege? Then by all means park in front of this office building in Courthouse overnight tonight.

The reason for the towing may not be a surprise to patrons of Saturday morning’s Courthouse farmers market. But it is a surprise to many people who park in the far southwest corner of the large county parking lot Friday night, not looking for the special farmers market parking notice on either side of the seven otherwise unremarkable metered spaces.

Nothing on the meters indicates that marking is restricted on Saturday. In fact, the meter indicates that parking is enforced from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, when it is in fact reserved for the farmers market from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Want to fight the ticket? Well, you can do that if you can get out of work for the better part of a weekday morning — and if you’re willing to pay $61 in court costs if you lose the appeal.

Do yourself a favor, avoid parking in front of 1400 North Uhle Street tonight.

Disclosure: Yes, this was written from first-hand experience. And yes, I’ve already paid the fine. This post was written in the hopes that others won’t make the same costly error. For the record, there were at least two other cars that suffered the same fate as mine on this particular weekend.


Guess Who’s Back at the Clarendon Farmers Market?

By ARLnow.com

After being barred from the Clarendon Farmers Market for two weeks, C&T Produce is back.

Owner Tracy DeBernard and daughter Holly were quietly manning their produce stand today, outside the Clarendon Metro Station.

DeBernard said she was allowed to return last week after Cooperative Extension agents from Stafford and Spotsylvania counties inspected her 400 acre farm and determined that she was growing all her own produce. Other vendors at the farmers market had alleged she was keeping prices artificially low by importing her produce from other farms.

The feud came to a head four weeks ago when DeBernard was told it would be her last time selling at the market. Later that day an ABC7 reporter showed up and reported live on the controversy.

“I’m very happy to be back,” DeBernard said today as a steady stream of customers inspected the fruits and vegetables under her red, white and blue tent. “It appears that the customers are very happy for me to be back, too.”

Not so happy, she says, are the other vendors who pressured the group that runs the market to kick her out.

“A lot of the other vendors don’t talk to me,” DeBernard said. “But that’s alright, I come here to sell my product, pack up and go home.”

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Farmers Market Looks to Move On After Controversy

By ARLnow.com

The organizers of the Clarendon Farmers Market are hoping to move on from a pricing dispute that exploded into a full-blown, televised controversy last week.

The market decided to prohibit a vendor, C&T Fruits and Vegetables, from returning this week after other vendors complained about C&T’s low prices and questionable product sourcing. They said C&T’s ability to sell off-season produce proves that they broke market rules that require all produce be locally-grown by the seller.

The dispute became public when a TV reporter showed up with camera in tow and began asking people if they thought a vendor should be expelled for having low prices (spoiler: most people said they did not have a problem with the low prices).

In a press release that didn’t explicitly address the controversy, the Clarendon Alliance, which runs the market, noted that “All production locations must be within a 125-mile radius of Washington, D.C. A producer may not sell items purchased from another farm or supplier… The Clarendon Alliance reserves the right to reject applications from operations where the applicant’s participation in production is unclear.”

The market is held outside the Clarendon Metro every Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Controversy at the Clarendon Farmers Market

By ARLnow.com

A seemingly minor dispute over food prices at the Clarendon Farmers Market has taken on a life of its own, prompting threats to expel a vendor and a visit from a local TV news reporter.

It started when farmers market vendors started complaining about C&T Fruits and Vegetables, which was selling produce at prices that other growers could not match.

The Clarendon Alliance, which runs the market, tried to convince C&T owner Tracy Debernard to raise her prices so that long-time vendors would not be squeezed out. When Debernard refused, she was told that this would be her last week at the market.

Meanwhile, someone apparently pitched the story to WJLA (ABC 7). Reporter Stephen Tschida showed up yesterday afternoon and reported live from the market. His story included soundbites from plenty of people who like the low prices, but did not include comments from any of the other market vendors.

For her part, Debernard told Tschida that she is considering legal action to force her way back into the market.

Arlington Farmer’s Market Celebrating 30th Anniversary

By ARLnow.com

Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the Arlington’s Farmers Market, and the county has some special events planned to celebrate.

Shortly after the market opens at 8:00 a.m, county board member Mary Hynes will host a ceremony honoring the founders of the market.

There will also be giveaways, kids’ activities, gardening demonstrations, and appearances by local chefs, who will be sharing cooking tips.

In the wake of several farmers market vendors being shut down by health inspectors two weeks ago, safety-minded county officials will also be distributing flyers to market customers and vendors.

The content of those flyers, after the jump.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief.

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UPDATED: County Reviewing Farmers Market Health Policies

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:40 p.m. — A spokesperson for the county confirms that several vendors were shut down by Arlington health officials over the weekend. As a result of the closures coming to light, the county is “conducting a thorough review of both the action and the codes/policies that apply to farmers market food safety,” says Kurt Larrick of the Arlington County Department of Human Services.

An Arlington County health inspector busted a baker and a well-known local restaurant at the Arlington Farmers Market in Courthouse Saturday morning.

The Washington City Paper reports that the stand run by Maryland-based Atwater’s was shut down because its bread loaves were not individually-packaged.

Other stands were shut down as well, including a stand featuring free samples from Ballston’s Willow Restaurant.

Willow’s stand was shuttered by county officials because the restaurant did not pay the $150 in special event permit fees required to operate the stand, according to a person connected to the restaurant. Willow runs the stand as a public service and as a promotional vehicle — they don’t actually sell anything — and can’t afford to pay the fees week after week, our source says.

Busy Weekend for Bargain Hunters

By ARLnow.com

It’s going to be an especially busy Saturday for bargain-hunters. Here’s a chronology of where to get good deals and score some free stuff.

7:00 a.m. — The weekly Arlington Civitan flea market starts the morning bright and early. About 150 vendors will be selling their wares until 1:30 p.m. in the parking garage between I-66 and Washington-Lee High School.

8:00 a.m. — The Arlington Farmer’s Market will take place, as it does every Saturday, in the parking lot across from the county courthouse from 8:00 to noon. Affordable fresh food and free samples abound.

9:00 a.m. — Hunt for hidden gems at the Aurora Hills Senior Center Trash ‘n’ Treasure Sale. One person’s old, unwanted piece of junk may be another’s cherished antique. The Aurora Hills Branch Library will also take part, selling books and music CDs as part of their ongoing Friends Sale.

10:00 a.m. — Boutique pet store Wylie Wagg is holding a grand opening celebration for its new Clarendon store. Located in the former a.k.a. spot storefront at 2509 Franklin Road, next to the Java Shack,  Wagg will be offering a 10 percent store-wide discount and a chance to win a $200 shopping spree. There will also be free doggie “smoothies” while supplies last, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m. — Clarendon’s new frozen yogurt mecca, Red Mango, will also be celebrating its grand opening on Saturday. The store (at 2831 Clarendon Boulevard) will be giving away free froyo from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There will also be free t-shirts for the first 100 customers.

2:00 p.m. — Join the Washington Shakespeare Company for a “pay-what-you-can” showing of “Every Young Woman’s Desire.” You decide how much you want to pay to see the show, a psychological thriller that examines the brutality of unchecked power. Presented at the Clark Street Playhouse (601 S. Clark Street).

See our events calendar for more details and for more things to do this weekend.

Flickr pool photo by Pseudo-Melancholy.

Jam Out, Stock Up and Party On in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Two weekly events start today in Rosslyn — part of a very musical summer in the otherwise business-oriented neighborhood.

From 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., local R&B and jazz act Spur of the Moment will kick off the CentralPlace Wednesday lunchtime concert series. The concerts are being held at “CentralSpace,” the temporary park at the corner of North Moore Street and Wilson Boulevard (CentralSpace will eventually be the site of a new office tower).

Tonight from 5:30 to 8:00, there will be live music, dancing and after-work drinks at Rosslyn Plaza, in front of the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater. The Party at the Plaza will take place every Wednesday in June and July. Tonight and for the rest of the month the event will feature salsa dancing. In July it switches to swing dancing. Free dance lessons will be held from 5:30 to 6:00, with the rest of the time reserved for people to dance as they see fit.

Tomorrow food gets thrown into the musical mix. BG & The Mojo Hands will play from 11:45 to 1:30 at the Rosslyn Farmer’s Market. The Thursday lunchtime concert series — which actually started last month and will stretch through October — is held next to the market, across from the Cupid’s Garden Sculpture at Wilson Boulevard and North Oak Street. The Rosslyn Farmer’s Market itself takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and features fruits, veggies, herbs, pastries, breads, fruit preserves and more.

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