A brief respite from fear
For a few hours each week, center comes to life with a market . . . and people
By James B. Meadow, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 24, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Darin McGregor © The Rocky
John Pratt totes away watermelons on his shoulders after buying them at the Civic Center Cafe and Outdoor Market.
Something was odd. Might have been the emu oil. Might have been the horsehair raku pottery. Might have been the upscale s'mores getting gooey in the sun when usually that's the province of month-old chewing gum.
But, no, what was strange about The Park on a midweek day was this: People. Men in white shirts and ties and women in stylish summer dresses walking around like they weren't afraid or in a hurry. There was a rhythm. A vibe. The unmistakable feel of something going on.
Say hello to the the Civic Center Cafe and Outdoor Market, the every-Wednesday-in-the-summer attempt to defibrillate the heart of The Park. To lure people from the nearby forest of buildings. To make them want to visit. To banish - for at least a few hours - The Park's bogeyman reputation.
There is no better ambassador of good cheer than Big Mike McCrea, who's really not all that big, but does purport to sell barbecue that is "insanely delicious." Ceaselessly smiling and sweating, Big Mike is the port-of-call for a phalanx of customers, creating a perpetual 10-deep line.
Near Mike's down-home grub is the more rarefied cuisine of the Colorado Crepe Company. If you want a "savory crepe" (with vidalia onion dressing, no less) for eight bucks, this is the place to go.
At least it is if you're Maria Gort and Alison Colby, two downtown workers who love making the lunchtime trek to The Park.
"The garden is beautiful; the market is a great break from work," says Alison.
It's also an excuse for two pals to visit a place they usually won't.
"As a woman, it's not comfortable to hang out here by myself," says Maria. "I live in Capitol Hill and get around a lot on foot, but I don't feel safe here by myself."
Solitary fear is no factor today. Not with a couple of thousand people strolling and eating and maybe even listening to cello music of Daria Joanna, who is loosing some notes so heavy they seem to be lolling around her ankles.
But not around the ankles of The Park's usual denizens - the homeless, the drug dealers - who are nowhere in sight. Small wonder. They probably aren't in the market for the emu oil that Terry Turner is trying to peddle with the promise, "It's what your skin is thirsting for!"
On the other hand, the produce that James Foster and Jade Moreno are peddling might be a good fit for fanciers of anything from potatoes to corn to asparagus thick as thumbs. Not that it's an easy sell. Most of the consumers who come here looking for barbecue, a crepe or a burger aren't consumed with the quest for produce. Funny, this "farmer's market" only has three farms.
Meanwhile, up and down the row of vendors people are browsing and buying. All under the gaze of two off-duty cops. Not that the cops are busy. The market has made its peace with locals.
There's only been one theft in three years. A few down-and-outers have earned some dough helping the vendors set up. "We don't get hassled at all. The whole thing has been nothing but pleasant for us," says market boss Nanci Simmons.
By 2:15, the tents, the trucks, the turnips, the people, the market are . . . gone. The Park feels like one of those East Coast beach resorts after Labor Day. Lonely and sad.
The only person in sight is John Pratt. Normally, he doesn't come near The Park because he's always getting hit up by panhandlers. But today, he saw the market and figured, what the hell?
Actually, he has found heaven - produce heaven - courtesy of Foster. Which explains why, as he heads out, he's hefting a formidable watermelon on each shoulder.
Guess he's just not an emu oil kind of guy.
meadowj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2606
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July 24, 2008
6:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
JohnSWren writes:
Hope you'll join us August 10 in Civic Center for Denver Speakers Corner. Take your turn on the soapbox, or just listen to what others have to say. More info and optional RSVP at http://cocacop.meetup.com/2
July 24, 2008
6:41 a.m.
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BlueSled writes:
Civic Center Park should be in the "Best of Denver" for "Best place to score schwag when your kb dealer won't answer their phone!"
July 24, 2008
10:29 a.m.
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Armchair_Pundit writes:
BlueSled, actually Westword DID (kind of) give the park the recognition it deserves. http://www.westword.com/bestof/2002/a...
Notably, the best place to buy crack is near the intersection of Colfax and Pearl. A mere five blocks from my first Denver apartment (bit of a shock at the time, being a Colorado newbie).
http://www.westword.com/bestof/2006/a...
July 24, 2008
2:39 p.m.
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FlyfishDude52 writes:
I met big Mike about a year ago. I think he's from the metro area by his speech. Definetly not from down South.
July 24, 2008
2:57 p.m.
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jpk34359 writes:
Re: Crackitol Hill
I live between Colfax and 14th, on Pearl. Last night at 9:00 two men were arguing right in front of my building--one saying "you got what you paid for" and the other saying "you ripped me off, give me half my money back." A Division 6 patrol car was in the Office Depot parking lot, directly across the street, paying no attention. I have approached Division 6 officers before about this, and they tell me "Colfax has been like this for 100 years, we're not going to stop it now . . . by the way, how much have you had to drink tonight?"
Capitol Hill could be cleaned up, if Division 6 would just crack down. But then where would the convention-goers obtain their crack?
July 24, 2008
8:08 p.m.
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kodijack writes:
$8 for a crepe? I wonder how many she sold. Whew, thats steep.
That is the worst Farmer's Market in the metro area. There is no real produce, the prices are staggering, and where are you going to sit, especially after this series of articles?