Last Sunday, the yellow Farmers Market banners that go up on the Fauntleroy pedestrian overpass each week were cut down and stolen.

These banners have been put up every Thursday evening and taken down on Sunday afternoon for five years without incident.

They are small and colorful and tasteful banners and are a gentle reminder that the Farmers Market will take place that Sunday.

They are also vinyl, professionally made, expensive and padlocked to the overpass, so cutting them down was more than just a small act of vandalism. All the padlocks, cables, etc were gone with the banners - and it should be noted that none of the other banners were taken down that day.

I realize there is some question about the legality of all the banners that grace the overpass, but I don't think the Farmers Market banners were cut down by city employees because they don't meet Street Use regulations. If that was the case, all the offending banners would have come down too.

It saddens me to share this news. The Farmers Market has come to mean so much to many of West Seattle's residents and is well supported and loved by food shoppers from Alki to White Center...

We are prepared to replace the banners and will do so over the next few weeks, but I wanted to let folks know.

Chris Curtis

Director

West Seattle Farmers Market