Poll: What Sonomans like about the Tuesday Night Market

Readers weigh in with their visions for the Tuesday Night Farmers Market|

This Week's Question

With the coming inauguration of Donald Trump as the 46th President of the United States, opinions are split on his suitability for the job and how locals feel about his presidency. What's your opinion?

Visit our poll page and cast your vote!

A weekly party on the Plaza – or an opportunity to greet neighbors and stock up on fresh produce? The Tuesday Night Farmers Market is many things to many people. While city officials are currently eliciting feedback for possible tweaks to the May through October market, we asked our online readers what they liked best about the weekly summertime soiree at City Hall.

Just about half – 48 percent – view it as a chance to buy local produce, which is the traditional role of a farmers market. Nearly 26 percent said they like to “hang with friends” and purchase food from the many restaurant vendors. Tellingly, nearly one in five don't seem to attend at all, reflected in “none of the above” receiving 19 percent of the votes.

Here are some of the more impassioned responses:

I'm 71 and a widow. It's a place for me to pick up great veggies, have a light meal on the lawn with friends, family and neighbors and listen to music without going to a bar. I take my grandchildren who love the variety of foods and dancing on the lawn!! It would be a shame to lose this gem for the locals ... everything else in Sonoma is geared for wine tasting tourists with expensive culinary tastes.

Buying local produce, visiting with friends and meeting other locals, eating local vendor food and listening to live music. The FM in Sonoma is an institution that should never go away!

A bunch of newbies getting drunk and causing congestion on Tuesday evening.

Well let's be real it's not about the produce… It's a huge party. I do enjoy the fact that it does bring the community together. But it does little to nothing for the local restaurants and shop owners. In my opinion it should be scaled back considerably. And possibly rotating out food vendors so there's not so many of them every week.

Don't go to this zoo. Used to be fun when it was “just Sonoma” but those days are gone.

I am a local and have lived here since 1964. Tuesday Night's Market is a great venue, I purchase local produce, purchase dinner from the food vendors and enjoy meeting friends and listening to the live music. It's a beautiful way to spend a summer evening.

Because I represent a number of hospitality people in the Valley that work most weekends and evenings, Tuesday is the only evening to meet friends and families for a picnic while shopping for food or purchasing food from the Vendors. I think it is a trademark of Sonoma and so many people come for the chance to enjoy our beautiful Plaza. There are many local groups that organize meet-ups and it has become a reliable night for groups to meet. If restaurants around town don't like it then maybe they need to get their marketing together and offer reduced rates on Tuesday menus so more people will eat dinner. I believe there are only a few people on the counsel that are leading this movement to not have the market and it is shame. They can shop on Fridays or elsewhere. LEAVE THE MARKET AS IT IS.

No parking available. Too much party, too little produce.

I don't attend because it's become yet another tourist destination. I've lived here for 40 years and feel like a stranger in my own town. If I didn't have a thriving practice here, I'd leave.

A weekly party on the Plaza – or an opportunity to greet neighbors and stock up on fresh produce? The Tuesday Night Farmers Market is many things to many people. While city officials are currently eliciting feedback for possible tweaks to the May through October market, we asked our online readers what they liked best about the weekly summertime soiree at City Hall. Just about half – 48 percent – view it as a chance to buy local produce, which is the traditional role of a farmers market. Nearly 26 percent said they like to “hang with friends” and purchase food from the many restaurant vendors. Tellingly, nearly one in five don't seem to attend at all, reflected in “none of the above” receiving 19 percent of the votes.

Here are some of the more impassioned responses:

I'm 71 and a widow. It's a place for me to pick up great veggies, have a light meal on the lawn with friends, family and neighbors and listen to music without going to a bar. I take my grandchildren who love the variety of foods and dancing on the lawn!! It would be a shame to lose this gem for the locals ... everything else in Sonoma is geared for wine tasting tourists with expensive culinary tastes.

Buying local produce, visiting with friends and meeting other locals, eating local vendor food and listening to live music. The FM in Sonoma is an institution that should never go away!

A bunch of newbies getting drunk and causing congestion on Tuesday evening.

Well let's be real it's not about the produce… It's a huge party. I do enjoy the fact that it does bring the community together. But it does little to nothing for the local restaurants and shop owners. In my opinion it should be scaled back considerably. And possibly rotating out food vendors so there's not so many of them every week.

Don't go to this zoo. Used to be fun when it was “just Sonoma” but those days are gone.

I am a local and have lived here since 1964. Tuesday Night's Market is a great venue, I purchase local produce, purchase dinner from the food vendors and enjoy meeting friends and listening to the live music. It's a beautiful way to spend a summer evening.

Because I represent a number of hospitality people in the Valley that work most weekends and evenings, Tuesday is the only evening to meet friends and families for a picnic while shopping for food or purchasing food from the Vendors. I think it is a trademark of Sonoma and so many people come for the chance to enjoy our beautiful Plaza. There are many local groups that organize meet-ups and it has become a reliable night for groups to meet. If restaurants around town don't like it then maybe they need to get their marketing together and offer reduced rates on Tuesday menus so more people will eat dinner. I believe there are only a few people on the counsel that are leading this movement to not have the market and it is shame. They can shop on Fridays or elsewhere. LEAVE THE MARKET AS IT IS.

No parking available. Too much party, too little produce.

I don't attend because it's become yet another tourist destination. I've lived here for 40 years and feel like a stranger in my own town. If I didn't have a thriving practice here, I'd leave.

This Week's Question

With the coming inauguration of Donald Trump as the 46th President of the United States, opinions are split on his suitability for the job and how locals feel about his presidency. What's your opinion?

Visit our poll page and cast your vote!

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