LEAGUE CITY — The future of a popular community market known as the Sunset Bazaar remains uncertain following public tension between its organizer and city officials. At this week’s city council meeting, a handful of residents and vendors urged League City to reconsider what they perceive as efforts to shut the event down or pressure it out of its current location.

Amber Carlson, who organizes the monthly vendor market, told KGTX 7 she has received no official notice of any violations, but believes the city has responded to informal complaints from a nearby business.

“I’ve sent emails to multiple council members and haven’t heard anything back,” Carlson said. “It feels like they’ve made decisions about the event without including us in the conversation. That’s what’s been the most disappointing.”

Councilman Chad Tressler responded to KGTX 7’s inquiry, confirming that the city has received multiple verbal complaints. While those complaints do not appear in the city’s formal record, Tressler cited concerns from residents, business owners, and other market organizers. He said the complaints included excessive noise outside permitted hours, street blockage during vendor setup, and use of areas not included in the original reservation—specifically, reports that children were asked to leave public basketball courts.

“There were multiple issues,” Tressler said. “And if this had been run cleanly, I probably wouldn’t have known about it at all. But clearly, that wasn’t the case.”

Carlson disputes those claims, saying city staff never contacted her directly to express concerns and that her team did everything by the book.

“Everything was reserved properly. If there were any issues, they could’ve picked up the phone and we would’ve worked to resolve them,” she said.

Local vendor Jennifer Ponshock, who participated in the market, criticized the handling of the situation.

“I was very disappointed that the heart of League City was taken away from vendors such as myself,” Ponshock told KGTX 7. “To not have true and accurate data, and to let Facebook drama drive decisions—it’s beneath us as highly educated people.”

According to Tressler, the city offered alternate locations for the event, but Carlson declined to relocate. He said the event has since secured a new venue nearby that does not involve city permits or use of public parks.

Mayor Nick Long acknowledged the differing views in the community.

“Some people love it, and we’ve heard from residents and business owners that don’t,” Long told KGTX 7. “I think we can sit down and find a way for everyone to peacefully exist.”

When asked whether the issue would appear on a future council agenda, Long said, “It may be. I don’t know if it will be, but we’ll certainly sit down with the parties. If a councilman wants to put it on the agenda, we’ll discuss it.”

Tressler said the city’s current event policy was written for one-time uses, like family reunions or sports banquets, and hasn’t evolved to manage recurring or for-profit markets. He believes future updates may be needed to account for that kind of growth.

Carlson, meanwhile, says she’ll keep organizing the event—with or without city space—but hopes this moment sparks a bigger conversation about community engagement, allowing her to remain in the park.

“I just want to be part of the solution,” she said. “This event was built for League City. We’re not trying to fight—we’re trying to stay.”

KGTX 7 will continue to follow this story and provide any updates as they come in.

Photo credit: KGTX 7/Stephen Bernardoni