Thursday Night Fairs Proposed for Downtown

VENTURA —  Hoping to inject a family oriented night life into the downtown area this summer, a group of merchants wants to start a community fair that would feature a farmers’ market, barbecues, art exhibits and live concerts.

The Downtown Ventura Market Place would be held within a two-block section of Main Street on four consecutive Thursday nights from July 11 to Aug. 1.

The market, which would also include face painting for children and car shows for adults, would begin at 4:30 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m.

Business owners have asked the City Council to authorize the closing of Main Street from California to Palm streets to accommodate the evening markets. The council is expected to approve the request Monday.

“It is just another event that hopefully will bring some local people downtown,” said Donna Small, owner of Crafter’s Showcase. “We have tourists on the weekends, but we would like to draw residents from the east end.”

The evening barbecue and marketplace would resurrect an idea launched five years ago when a farmers’ market was started on Thursday nights and abandoned at the end of summer.

“We had a series of Thursday night barbecues in 1990,” said Tim O’Neil, president of the Downtown Ventura Assn. “It was fairly successful, but we stopped it when we got into the fall and the colder weather. There has been a lot of support to bring this back.”

Since the city invested more than $3.5 million to give the historic downtown business district a face-lift, pedestrian traffic has increased.

More people are filling restaurants, coffeehouses and antique shops on the weekends. But merchants and city leaders are struggling to draw more people at night and on weekdays.

Plans for a 10-screen movie theater and retail complex on Main Street between California and Chestnut streets are in the final stages.

But in the meantime, business owners and council members say events like the proposed market would help attract visitors and residents.

“I think it is a good idea,” Mayor Jack Tingstrom said. “The summertime to me is outside. This is just a midweek get-together to come down, shop around, and get everybody downtown.”

The Thursday night market would not replace the city’s two existing farmers’ markets, held Saturday mornings at the city-owned parking lot on Santa Clara Street and Wednesday mornings at the Montgomery Ward parking lot near the Buenaventura Mall.

Downtown merchants started planning the Thursday night barbecues about six months ago.

“I think it is great,” Councilman Jim Freidman said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to bring people out to the downtown area. I am in favor of anything that brings the community together.”