We’ve had two weeks of farmers markets as I write this, and it’s such a pleasure to be back. I’ve missed all of you, and love how we’re able to reconnect despite masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
I was caught off guard a few weeks ago when the city contacted me and asked if we had an interest in opening the market early. A board member had suggested this before, and Facebook followers had posed the same question. My response to them included an explanation of the permits we had, the advertising that had already been done, and other reasons why this wouldn’t be viable. But then the city of Healdsburg suggested it to me, because farmers markets are considered essential needs providers, and they felt the community would benefit from the market being available.
This early opening didn’t come without upset. There were several voices of worry from Facebook readers. Their fears were not unreasonable. Certainly these are unprecedented times, which call for an excessive amount of caution. Although our market is small in comparison to some, we still had to figure out some important logistics. How do we set things up so that everyone feels safer?
There were several guidelines we were given by the state, the health department and the county. Booths had to be 10 feet apart. Essential needs goods only are to be sold; no craft. No prepared food cooked on site. No entertainment. Everyone must wear face coverings. Frequent use of handwashing facilities and sanitizer. Gloves encouraged. No touching of goods: vendor must get things for customers. No seating for customers to sit and eat. No sampling.
We’re doing all of that, but also taking a few other precautions. We’ve widened our aisles by asking vendors to park differently. We’re asking customers to come up to the booth one at-a-time, and form lines outside the booth, standing 6 feet apart. We’re monitoring socializing and making sure people get in and get out. We used to ring a bell at 8:30 a.m. and no one was supposed to sell before then. Well, the bell still gets rung, but these days come as early as you want. If vendors are set up they can sell to you. The city is providing a hand washing station and three sanitizing stations, plus we’ve had some wonderful volunteers giving squirts to those who want them.
The bottom line is I think (hope) you’ll find the market a safe, comfortable and exciting place to shop for your weekly groceries and goodies. We certainly have an interesting and varied group of vendors, well worth checking out. This is a market full of surprises. As the seasons progress, every week brings something new and different, which makes shopping with us so much fun.
Are we allowed to have fun right now? I’m not sure, but I do know having access to local, fresh food, that I can buy from the person who grew or produced it, while strolling in the warm air, seeing friends and neighbors (at a distance … waving!), brings me a lot of joy. I hope you find joy in this gem of a market and we see you there soon.
Janet Ciel is the manager of the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market. She can be reached at ma*****@he*********************.org.
