Saturday Market #24: We've Got Good Bones

We've arrived at the season of sweet Saturdays filled with the slanty warm light of the late summer sun. It's also the season when we're cruising along without a whole lot of extra news or excitement to blog about. That means I'm going to really have to stretch to connect the dots and make a blog post. But I can do it! You see, I've had these photos I found in the basement sitting next to my desk for a few weeks, pictures from the very early days of Market. I've been meaning to get them into some digital form and post them. I've done that and now... to make a connection between last Saturday and the First Saturday.


Here are skeletons basking in that golden afternoon glow at Daniel Conan Young's booth at the corner of 8th & Oak last Saturday.


Here is Gil Dunaway, selling candles under an umbrella in the alley between what is now the Downtown Athletic Club and the Overpark, at the first Saturday Market on May 9, 1970.

What is the connection? Bones. Saturday Market has a good, strong set of bones inside it, built up by people like Gil, who still sells candles on Saturdays, rain or shine. Here are a few fun archival shots from our formative years.


Here's another photo from that first season, you can see the Overpark clearly on the left. At the time, there were restaurants and other businesses tucked in under the parking structure, so you can see how business folks might have been upset about all these "hippies" cluttering up the sidewalk.


In 1971 the Market spent the summer season selling on the plaza in front of the County Courthouse. I can barely remember when the courthouse had those space age curvy beams along the front of Harris Hall. They were remodeled away long ago.


Market's founder Lotte Streisinger did a lot to get a Farmers' Market going. They were part of the Market until the mid-80s when they became a separate organization. This photo is from 1978 or so, when the Market was on the "Butterfly" parking lot across the street from the Park Blocks.


Here's a view of the food court at that time, it was located at the north end of the parking lot. I think it's funny that except for the stylish plaid suit jacket in the corner, you couldn't really date the photo from what people are wearing. It could be last week. But the cookies and brownies at Loven Oven (the calzoni booth) were 50¢...


And here's David the Minstrel. I remember he used to sing a song with the chorus "don't shave your legs, don't wear deodorant..." David was still singing at Market a few years back before he moved away.

The crafters, the food booth folks, the musicians and the timelessly clad customers are the strong bones of our sweet Market, eternal thanks for your support! See you Saturday...