Food
La Crosse farmers market no longer going to be in Cameron Park
La Crosse’s Friday farmers market will no longer be in Cameron Park.
The group was granted permission Thursday by the Parks Board to move the market to Burns Park along Main Street, across from the library.
The number of vendors and customers at Cameron has been dropping in recent years, amid concerns about safety in that area.
Caleb Kvale with the La Crosse Farmers Market Association noted the attendance drop at Cameron, where homeless people have camped on occasion.
“Cameron’s still been shrinking, and we haven’t recovered there, the way we wanted to be, which is why we’re looking to make the move,” Kvale told board members.
La Crosse Parks, Recreation and Forestry director Jay Odegaard supports the change in location.
“Looking at the numbers they shared with us,” Odegaard said, “I think it’s pretty evident that a move is necessary for them to survive.”
Next year’s farmers market is set to begin May 3, and continue each Friday evening until the end of October.
There were occasional Saturday morning markets at Cameron, however.
At this time, the move to Burns Park is only planned for 2025. The change will be reviewed at the end of the season.
R head
November 22, 2024 at 2:09 pm
The homeless finally drove the market out of Cameron park good Job Mitch.
Jackie
November 22, 2024 at 7:53 pm
Fuckin for real…. so sick of them!!!!
BigDog22
November 23, 2024 at 2:00 am
And you think the Park next to the Salvation Army will be better? Lmao.. do yall people even use your brains? Or even have a brain?
Roy
November 23, 2024 at 7:02 am
The vagrants may have been stopped from “camping” overnight at Cameron Park, but some still congregate in the park during daylight hours when the Farmer’s Market is in operation. They milled around at the produce stands enough to cause the operators to hire security guards. All this causes would-be patrons to shy away from the mess caused 100% by the “homeless.”
There was a time not long ago when beat policemen on foot would have been also milling around, telling these losers to keep moving, asking “You have any business here? If not, get moving.”
Now, we get all wrapped up in clearing everything with the City Attorney first. There should be discretionary authority given to officers allowing them to do what is necessary to allow a smooth movement of society, just as traffic policemen stand in the intersections of busy streets, ordering a safe movement of vehicles. Squatters aren’t going to sue anyone. They just swear and stalk away. Unless, of course, wealthy do-gooder liberals come to their rescue.
Dominic
November 23, 2024 at 2:23 pm
Next time you have ANY thoughts… Let them go. You sound pathetic. The homeless ARE people too. Not all are bad either, but you’ve got your head so far up your own butt to even realize anything other than your own pathetic existence. It’s people like you that need help. Probably voted Trump too. You sad, pathetic “person”
Roy
November 23, 2024 at 4:07 pm
Glad you exposed yourself instead of lurking and festering in your stew of your own making. It was a pity, however, that you dragged the majority of voters into your critique of me.
Bruce
November 23, 2024 at 10:28 am
Yeah, this is crap. Do better City Officials. Make our community safe for the hard working, tax paying citizens of our community and stop letting vagrants ruin our city. Guess what, Burns park won’t be much different.
Paul P.
November 23, 2024 at 3:18 pm
All close up street parking at Burns Park will be used by the vendors. They won’t be able to work out of their vehicles like they do at Cameron Park. Also,who wants to buy fresh fruit & vegetables next to the pet toilet dog park, in Burns Park?
Marie
November 23, 2024 at 7:35 pm
The city needs to do more about this issue instead of letting them win & take over. It’s been at Cameron Park for years, & now businesses are all having to move city doesn’t care about this issue or more would be done.
Kevin
November 25, 2024 at 9:53 am
Burns Park seems, to be blunt, a terribly inconvenient place to have this market. History will tell the story. I would be interested in who made this decision, the city planners, which no doubt have not actually had a booth in a farmers’ market.
Good job city administration, you have added useless bike lanes to roads, destroyed a once growing and thriving farmers market, and added untold pounds of crap to the environment with your poor enforcement of city parks.