First things first, this is a non-cannabis themed event. Here at Consigliere Magazine, we want to be sure that our cannabis loving parents know about events they can relax at even when not lifted.
Sand City, a little town snuggled between Monterey and Seaside is quickly becoming known for its new Sand City Art Park. This park, located @ 525 Ortiz Ave., is where you’ll find the Night Market 831.
Night Market 831 is host to an evening market full of food, music and art. You’ll run into your neighbors from all cities in the Monterey County and even some visitors beyond.
We were pleased to learn that Amy and Dan Sheehan of ‘Good Vibez’ and ‘California Roots’, are also the same powerhouse bringing you this amazing outdoor pop-up market.
As I walked through the gates, I was greeted with paintings everywhere. From the walls to the ground, There were beautiful works of art with vibrant colors and murals of sea life everywhere. People singing, joking, dancing and children laughing as they weaved through the sea of people. If you have a furry friend, this was a dog friendly event. There were tails of every kind, wagging and waiting to greet everyone that crossed their paths.
First thing that caught my eye was this art venue called KindessRocks831, with a slogan that says “SPREADING JOY AND KINDNESS ONE ROCK AT A TIME.”
For only $5, founder Samantha Chioino provides everything needed and gives kids the opportunity to paint rocks under a shaded area. They can keep their rocks, but are encouraged to share or even hide their masterpieces for someone else to find. Wouldn’t you be happy if you found a cool painted rock?
While admiring all the artwork, I met Yesenia Argueta and her 5 yr old daughter Angelise Morales. When asked about her favorite part of the event, Angelise excitedly replied, “Painting!”. I couldn’t agree with her more.
Among the art vendors was a familiar face. We did a piece on David Marple some time ago. MarpleArt is well known for his live paintings at events like CaliRoots, and is the artist behind the popular ‘The Bowl’ artwork. You’ll see people proudly wearing his artwork throughout Monterey County.
Other vendors included Randy Seamoss and The Highway One Station. Randy Seamoss also known as “Mr. Seamoss,” is best known for his beneficial seamoss gel. This small family business out of Monterey is dedicated to giving you the best nutrients it has to offer with the highest quality of seamoss. You can eat it, drink it or put it on your skin topically. I was impressed to see a wide range of flavors from ‘Orange & Turmeric’ to his new flavor ‘Cinnamon & Honey’.
Just a few steps away was a vendor that really caught my eye. Highway One Station was filled with CBD dog treats, CBD edibles, topicals and extracts for humans. Behind this brilliant idea were Tucker and Karina, a couple from Monterey County, who named their business after the famous Pacific Coast Highway located along the California Coast. Talking with Tucker, I found out they started out thinking about their dogs and how they could help them to relax while her and Karina were out on their travels. They found that there wasn’t much information from an educational standpoint and thought there was a need in that part of the industry. Hence their saying “Sales through education.” Through all the struggles and ups and downs in the industry, they are still striving and standing strong…more to come on this very interesting small business!
The aroma of so many different foods was a pleasant experience in itself. There were churros from MMM Churros, macarons from Mac City Macarons, pizza from Central Coastan Pizza, tacos from Tacos el Puerto, and so much more!
As I made my way throughout the park, I kept noticing people with BBQ food walking around. BBQ loaded nachos or a BBQ sandwich, and it seemed every few steps I walked, another person with another BBQ food was enjoying life. As you can probably guess, I gave in. I had to try the BBQ.
The heaping amount of nachos were enough for two to share. The pulled pork, Doritos, plain tortilla chips, nacho cheese, BBQ sauce and jalapeños is such an amazing combo! ‘Casas de Humo BBQ’ owners, Sandy and Jorge Casas, weren’t the only ones proudly getting their hands dirty. The rest of the family was hard at work too. It was worth it though as they had a long but fast moving line throughout the evening.
Through all the sounds you could still hear the rhythm of the band that brought everything together. The rootsy reggae style, blended with hip-hop had the crowd swaying along throughout the park. The Rudians are a group of 7 guys from Salinas and they seemed to have quite a following. As they performed their new single “Hands Up,” I looked up at the stage and saw long time friend Anthony Limon playing on the keys and jamming out and was proud of how far he had come. When I turned and looked into the crowd, I became not only proud of him but excited for the band as a whole.
It was a beautiful thing to see a band from my hometown of Salinas succeeding. From the old but young at heart to the youth that were sporting their cute Little Rudians sweaters, everyone was enjoying their music and singing along. MC Terrance King kept the crowd alive, along with the help of his fellow musicians. Steven Moreno on bass/vocals, Neal Battaglia on saxophone, Benny Sanchez on rhythm guitar, Anthony Limon on keys and vocals, Giovanny Longoria on lead guitar and Israel Romero on drums.
I can’t wait to see what the future has for these guys as they made a special announcement that night. What was the announcement? They will be playing for the first time at CaliRoots 2022!!! So make sure to check them out on Thursday, May 26th, 2:45pm over at the Pop Up stage.
It was a wonderful experience to stand back and watch families and friends enjoying themselves. So if you catch yourself in the area of Sand City, CA., make sure to check out your local Night Market 831. It comes every first Friday of the month.
