Where's the farmers' market?

As a 15-year resident of Oak Park, I believe that a farmers' market would be a good thing for the city. Whatever we can do to strengthen the ties between people and build a viable local community, we should consider.

I've visited other cities like Seattle with its Pike Market Place and Vancouver with its Granville Island and the value in a public square is immeasurable. Sure, those centers are permanent and include numerous shops and galleries along with the farmers' market. But if you've ever sipped a coffee and watched the human parade go by at an outdoor café, you know what I mean by the joy of spending a few hours at a real public gathering place.

It's not like we don't have ongoing examples nearby with the Calabasas and Thousand Oaks farmers' markets. What a lovely way to spend the morning, walking among the vegetable displays, lingering over the olive oil samples and schmoozing with the farmers. When you ask a merchant what to do with some strange looking beets, you're likely to get a friendly, impromptu recipe from the customer standing next to you.

I know we have to be careful about parking, noise and all the other worries that the permit people have to deal with. But why not consider the spirit, rather than the letter of the law.

As we move into that most quintessential of American holidays, Thanksgiving, it's time to think about the public good. Let's save our family farms and our communities and put up a farmers' market in Oak Park. If we're ever going to pull this country back together, we have to start somewhere and over a ripe tomato is as good a place as any. Bobbi Rubinstein Oak Park