Monday, April 16, 2012
The Mokena Downtown Merchants Association will bring live music and more vendors to a new Front Street market starting April 28.
Welcome back. Anyone that's kept up with the local media outlets is well aware that there will be a change regarding the Saturday open air market in downtown Mokena. For the last 10 years the market, formerly referred to as "the French Market," has set up shop at the west end of the Front Street Metra Station. The market was typically open from April to October. Starting April 28th there will a new Market in town, organized and managed by our own Mokena Downtown Merchants Association. This new market will actually take place on Front Street, between Wolf Road and Mokena Street. The MDMA is planning on expanding and diversifying the weekly event, including live music and a heavy presence of vendors from within the Mokena business community…
Friday, March 30, 2012
Feedback Friday is the weekly look back at the stories that got Mokena talking.
The story that generated the most site comments this week was about Mokena's new congressional representative Bobby Rush getting kicked off the House floor for wearing a hoodie to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin. As of Thursday night, nearly 250 Southland Patch readers voted in our poll that Rush deserved to be disciplined. See what your neighbors said about Rush's statement. Another big talker was our video of 9-year-old Lauren Peterson of Mokena shaving her head for cancer research. Peterson raised the most money of any single participant at last week's St. Baldrick's event in New Lenox (handily beating New Lenox Patch Editor Michael Sewall and, later that weekend, Frankfort Editor Joe Vince). Jim S What a great story. This is what…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Local vendors? Local history? Music? Just farm produce? Tell us what you would like to see at the Front Street market currently being planned.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Paul Dailing
-
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Mokena's 10-year-old French Market is no more, thanks to a board decision Monday night not to extend the market manager contract. Now what do you want to see at the new Front Street market? The village has given its unofficial blessing to a group of Front Street merchants who made their pitch to run a farmers market downtown. The planners, who include the owners of Dave's Auto Sales, Dina's Barber Shop and more, are working to pull together a market by May. What do you want to see there? Just produce? Local stores? Music? Local history? Tuvan throat singers? Put your downtown market wish list in the comments below. As Mayor Joe Werner told the merchants during Monday's meeting, "We want you to say, 'This is what represents Mokena.'" Sign …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Two weeks after the village board was set to extend the French Market contract, members unanimously shot it down to give Front Street merchants their shot at running a downtown market.
After 10 years, the French Market at the downtown Metra lot is no more, but the village is hoping a group of Front Street merchants can keep a market running in Mokena. "We now know what the French Market was like and now, as I understand it, we'll have a chance to see what something else is like," Mayor Joe Werner said during Monday's village board meeting. During the meeting, the board discussed whether to extend the contract with Bensidoun Inc. to run the French Market. The 10-year contract expires this spring. The board was set to vote on a five-year contract extention at its meeting two weeks ago. But after an often-heated, two-hour debate decided to table the measure until the next meeting to give a chance for more public comment. At…
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
A group of downtown merchants presented their plan for a Front Street market to replace the French Market up for contract renewal next week. But can they pull it off?
In anticipation of a village board vote next week on renewing the French Market contract, a group of Front Street merchants on Monday presented their own plan for a downtown market. Group spokesman Tony Dina of Dina's Barber Shop said the group believes they can prepare a farmers market to run along Front Street from Wolf Road to Division Street within four to six weeks. "It may not be exactly what we would like it to be, but it would be something and something is better than nothing," Dina said. The presentation, which was prepared Sunday when the business owners and village board Trustee Don Labriola met at Dave's Auto Sales and Service, was made to a board considering the fate of the 10-year-old French Market. A five-year extension of …
41.534561
-87.883923
Village of Mokena Village Hall
11004 Carpenter St, Mokena, IL
/articles/front-street-businesses-pitch-own-farmers-market
325825
/locations/6622831
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
With the village board holding off on a decision about the French Market for two weeks so residents can weigh in, what do you think about the downtown event.
The Mokena Village Board on Monday decided to hold off on a five-year contract extension with Bensidoun Inc. to run the Mokena French Market so residents can weigh in at next week's work session. The work session will be held at 6 p.m. March 19 at Mokena Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter St. Read up on the issues in these past stories, then weigh in on what you think the market's future should be. So what do you think? Take our poll below to weigh in. Sign up for a Patch user account to add your ideas to the comments below.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Here are the cost reductions vendors could see under the proposed contract extension for the Mokena French Market.
This story is a companion to "Hot Talk But No Decision on French Market," about the debate over whether to renew Mokena's contract with the French Market. Part of the proposed contract extension with Bensidoun Inc. to run Mokena's French Market would move Mokena to a different tier on Bensidoun's price scale. This would put Mokena's market on the same level as Bensidoun-run markets in New Lenox and Homewood. Here are the prices, taken from the contract Bensidoun provides all potential vendors. Contract provided to Patch by Mokena village staff. All rates are per week. Full-time vendors sign up for all 26 weeks of the market. Part-time vendors pay per week. Go back to "Hot Talk But No Decision on French Market."
After more than two hours of discussion Monday night, the village board voted to delay a decision on the fate of the French Market so residents could weigh in. Here's what made the talk so hot.
After a two-and-half-hour, hotly argued Mokena Village Board meeting, board members voted to hold off on the contract with the Mokena French Market for two weeks so the community can weigh in. Watch village video of the two-hour debate. Click on "Extension of license agreement with Bensidoun, U.S.A." The two-week delay, approved 5-1 with Trustee George Metanias the sole vote against, will give residents a chance to weigh in at the March 19 board work session at village hall on whether to extend the contract for five years The board will vote on the issue March 26. This means Mokena might not make it on the application farmers, grocers and other vendors will use to plan their 2012 season, Assistant Village Administrator Kirk Zoellner said…
41.534561
-87.883923
Village of Mokena Village Hall
11004 Carpenter St, Mokena, IL
/articles/hot-talk-but-no-decision-on-french-market
325825
/locations/6575990
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Cheaper rent for vendors and more community involvement are some of the changes the village negotiated in a new, tentative contract with the French Market.
Cheaper prices for vendors and more promotion of the French Market as a place for neighbors, not just out-of-towners, could be features of the next five years. Or Mokena could see three years of an empty Metra lot. The village recently brokered a five-year contract extension with Bensidoun USA, the company that runs the French Market at the downtown Metra lot in summer. The contract is tentatively set for a board vote on Monday. The contract signed by the village 10 years ago has a three-year non-compete clause. That means if the current board wanted to go with another company than Bensidoun, they couldn't hold the market in the Metra lot until 2015. "If you're going to have a market and have it be someone else, you're going to have to …
41.530778
-87.886093
Metra-Metropolitan Rail
11040 McGovney St, Mokena, IL
/articles/french-market-coming-back-with-some-changes
325138
/locations/6541216
Monday, February 6, 2012
We asked what you would like to see come to Mokena's French Market; one reader wants to see more herb and spice options.
Welcome back. Several weeks ago we discussed different types of businesses that Mokena residents would like to see open in our beautiful village. In addition, suggestions came in regarding the French Market. One of those comments came from Mokena resident Sharon White. Here is what Sharon had to say: "I like our French Market and would like to see herbs and spices... that you could buy in any quantity you need. Too often, I buy a bottle, not needing to use all of the spice, then end up throwing it out because the expiration date has passed. I would be willing to pay a little more to be able to buy just what I need. Love the Amish foods, bakery, fruits and vegetables that are usually there. I have never been to Erbert and Gerbert's Sandwich…
41.530778
-87.886093
Metra-Metropolitan Rail
11040 McGovney St, Mokena, IL
/articles/i-love-mokena-reader-wants-spicier-market-options
325138
/locations/6318403
Charlene Bergman
1:15 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Well, now that we no longer are restricting a portion of the parking in the Metra Lot on Fridays with the possibility of having your vehicle towed if you aren't there by 6:00 P.M. and thus incurring another charge - towing bill - this should encourage all of you to attend the Market and see what this involved group of Downtown Merchant's has done in a relatively short period of time. There is … more ›