Paul and Eileen Goldfinger.  Tropicanaforum.com  Reporting from Ft. Myers, Fla.

We arrived at 8:45 am before any booths had opened. Yet parking was already difficult.   Many people were already there by 9 am, and there was a long line at the NY Bagels market stall and other popular shops.

The Farmers Market at Lakes Park is popular because it has a large and varied selection of mostly food items. Some of those choices are quite exotic and interesting, so it is not surprising that a crowd built up quickly. The guacamole stand is an example.  It is “The Greatest Guacamole in the World.”   This specialized purveyor of “mole” even has an avocado shirt.

Eileen once told me that guacamole was invented in Guacamala. But, in her defense, it was a joke. There was also a specialist in turmeric and another who sold only key lime pies.  There were ready to eat items including Philippine food.

Kids and moms. Paul Goldfinger photo.

But the reason that this market is “chaotic and crazy” is that by 9:30 am there was no place to park. Zero!  People were lined up for parking, and if anyone wanted to pull out of a space, there would be chaos in the aisles, and the single file parking line extended outside the parking  lot and back to the park entrance.

But the most amazing sight was the single- spaced line on Gladiolus Drive which stretched back for about  3/4 mile, and the ability to make the left turn into the park was controlled by a quick light. It was a horror show in the heat yet we saw no one pull out and leave.

Is a bargain bunch of radishes worth this?  Evidently for some crazy people…

There are smaller but less interesting markets in the area, however  they are much more pleasant and they have the basics.   But even there, go early to avoid crowds and tight contact with others.  There still is concern about COVID.

ANITA BRIEM AND THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND  (New Orleans)    Do you know what she’s talking about?