Letter: Don't deny people their farmers market

The recent decisions by the Downtown Chico Business Association to cancel its Thursday night market due to smoke illustrates a chronic community disconnect and wreaks significant public havoc.

[Concerned]

I completely agree with Mr Roth. Another thought is that we need to allow the folks to make their own decisions as to weather they are to be outside in these conditions. I see many people wearing masks, and could wear them to the farmers market as well... Do not deny the farmers or the people that buy their product....

[dbski4it]

ah, Richard, you might try Raley's. Raley's carries all kinds of healthy foods. Walmart would carry health foods at prices the poor people could afford if we would let them.

[axon]

The Thursday Night Market draws upwards of 10,000 visitors. The advice of the Butte Air Quality Management District and the Butte County Public Health Department was that the air conditions that day could cause permanent damage to lung tissues. For the health and safety of the visitors and vendors, the TNM had to be canceled.

The TNM is canceled for rain and other inclemencies, and all vendors are aware of this when they reserve a space. The DCBA certainly does not cancel the market capriciously, as it is an important fundraising activity. When the decision to cancel the market is made, it is made for good reasons after significant consideration.

In this instance, the safety of thousands of visitors and vendors was determined to be at risk by public health officials, and at their urging, the market was canceled. However disappointing that may be to a few disgruntled farmers and shoppers, it was the right decision. As Mr Roth points out, the Saturday Farmer's Market offered those farmers customers, and shoppers goods, 36 hours later. I do not believe that either farmers or shoppers were harmed by the TNM cancelation. Mr Roth should perhaps pay closer attention to his own business instead of interfering in others'.

Alan Chamberlain
[e-mail]

[Mark D]

The letter writer implies that people will starve if they can't go to the Thursday Market. His hyperbole (and then his threat of a lawsuit) do not serve his cause well.

The Market was cancelled because there was a health advisory that NOBODY should be outdoors - not the vendors, not the customers. It would be much more imprudent to open the market and demand that vendors open their booths. And it becomes an attractive nuisance - drawing people to come outdoors into the dangerous air. Civil liability? Inviting people to breathe dangerous air is a much more litiginous situation than cancelling the Thursday Market. It would be like having a dangerous dog and putting up a "Please poke him with a stick" sign.

[Frank]

Simple solution, cancel the farmers market period. Learn to grow fresh food at home. Stop depending on others for your survival. Too much riffraff at the market.

[Mike Trolinder]

Richard, In your comment is a compliment to a great thing. The Thursday night market does make a difference to the lives of small operators and customers. Lets all hope for better days ahead.

Mike

[To Market I go]

There are two other Market's held in town during the week for people to obtain fresh, locally grown produce, as well as a fine selection of local and organic produce from several stores in town. I certainly doubt that depriving the town of a single Market Event will lead to mass starvation, nor a loss of the sense of community. Unless your sense of community involves a town of people standing around b****ing about how bad the smoke is and how they shouldn't be out in it!

[Sawblade1]

axon wrote:

The Thursday Night Market draws upwards of 10,000 visitors. The advice of the Butte Air Quality Management District and the Butte County Public Health Department was that the air conditions that day could cause permanent damage to lung tissues. For the health and safety of the visitors and vendors, the TNM had to be canceled.
The TNM is canceled for rain and other inclemencies, and all vendors are aware of this when they reserve a space. The DCBA certainly does not cancel the market capriciously, as it is an important fundraising activity. When the decision to cancel the market is made, it is made for good reasons after significant consideration.
In this instance, the safety of thousands of visitors and vendors was determined to be at risk by public health officials, and at their urging, the market was canceled. However disappointing that may be to a few disgruntled farmers and shoppers, it was the right decision. As Mr Roth points out, the Saturday Farmer's Market offered those farmers customers, and shoppers goods, 36 hours later. I do not believe that either farmers or shoppers were harmed by the TNM cancelation. Mr Roth should perhaps pay closer attention to his own business instead of interfering in others'.
Alan Chamberlain
[e-mail]

Oh shut up Alan, DCBA is not gods word. Closing the market due to smoke is just stupid. We all know the quality of the air just by stepping outside and taking a breath. DCBA needs to let the public decide if they want to breath the air or not. Being rained out is understandable. First you want to screw up downtown parking, then you want us to let DCBA run the Farmers Market according to air quality? NOT for the DCBA to decide!

[axon]

What is your name? I don't really have any interest in what you say if you won't say who you are. You're just another craven coward with no true conviction. I dare you to tell me to shut up to my face, you lying loser.

Alan Chamberlain
[e-mail]

[juanita]

axon wrote:

The Thursday Night Market draws upwards of 10,000 visitors. The advice of the Butte Air Quality Management District and the Butte County Public Health Department was that the air conditions that day could cause permanent damage to lung tissues. For the health and safety of the visitors and vendors, the TNM had to be canceled.
The TNM is canceled for rain and other inclemencies, and all vendors are aware of this when they reserve a space. The DCBA certainly does not cancel the market capriciously, as it is an important fundraising activity. When the decision to cancel the market is made, it is made for good reasons after significant consideration.
In this instance, the safety of thousands of visitors and vendors was determined to be at risk by public health officials, and at their urging, the market was canceled. However disappointing that may be to a few disgruntled farmers and shoppers, it was the right decision. As Mr Roth points out, the Saturday Farmer's Market offered those farmers customers, and shoppers goods, 36 hours later. I do not believe that either farmers or shoppers were harmed by the TNM cancelation. Mr Roth should perhaps pay closer attention to his own business instead of interfering in others'.
Alan Chamberlain
[e-mail]

Mark Lundburg, county health officer, issued a statement about a week ago saying THE SMOKE WOULD CAUSE NO LONG LASTING EFFECTS.

I know, I thought that sounded looney, but guess what. Regular people with regular lives have to go out in it. We have our choice to wear masks - I have my trusty bandana, and I wear it. Cancelling activities around town was the hype - and yes, people who are trying to make it off their land need these venues, they need every little bit to keep their bottom line above water.

The world's a mess when farmers are barely making it and city employees are making enough money to raise the price of housing in an entire town.

Here's a song about it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

They've been tellin' lies!

[juanita]

axon wrote:

What is your name? I don't really have any interest in what you say if you won't say who you are. You're just another craven coward with no true conviction. I dare you to tell me to shut up to my face, you lying loser.
Alan Chamberlain
[e-mail]

Alan, get ahold of yourself.

[juanita]

Sawblade1 wrote:

<quoted text> Oh shut up Alan, DCBA is not gods word. Closing the market due to smoke is just stupid. We all know the quality of the air just by stepping outside and taking a breath. DCBA needs to let the public decide if they want to breath the air or not. Being rained out is understandable. First you want to screw up downtown parking, then you want us to let DCBA run the Farmers Market according to air quality? NOT for the DCBA to decide!

Hi Sawblade! Now that you've got Alan's goat, I hope you will treat it kindly and feed it well.

[runner]

Sawblade 1 - are you not the same guy who was talking about beating cyclist up in the park a while back? Well Chamberlain has called you out. Now the question is, are up to the challenge?

[Sawblade1]

runner wrote:

Sawblade 1 - are you not the same guy who was talking about beating cyclist up in the park a while back? Well Chamberlain has called you out. Now the question is, are up to the challenge?

Anytime anywhere.. How about a warm up with you?

[Randall Stone]

He's also the one that claimed to feed dogs in his neighborhood 1 pound chocolate bars and succeeded in killing those dogs "every time."

Why bother with him.

[Sawblade1]

Randall Stone wrote:

He's also the one that claimed to feed dogs in his neighborhood 1 pound chocolate bars and succeeded in killing those dogs "every time."
Why bother with him.

Never said it killed the dogs did I. It gives them something to eat and keeps them quiet. Yes it does work everytime.