The opening of the 18th season of the North Bay Farmers’ Market lacked the usual fanfare.
Absent were the large crowds of people leisurely strolling through the grounds, stopping to mingle and check out the various booths.
“They come in, they get what they need and then they get out. It is a different atmosphere than we’re used to in the past, but at least we’re able to supply local food to the area,” said Mitch Deschatelets, market chair and owner of Leisure Farms.
The province permitted the opening of outdoor markets in time for the long weekend, with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place.
Volunteers kept a watchful eye to ensure all safety precautions were adhered to.
“For social distancing we made one-way traffic, so everyone is in and out. We also have city police here today. So, we’re just making sure that things are working out, that there are no gatherings and it is fast-paced,” explained Deschatelets.
”We utilized more than double the space that we normally use for the summer market, probably three times as much. We’ve only got 30 food vendors right now because only food vendors are allowed at this point.”
Customers were given the opportunity to do online shopping for Saturday pickup.
“Shoppers would go either on our market page www.northbayfarmersmarket.com or on our Facebook page, and there would be a link there. So, any items they see on there is available for purchase in advance, and all they need to do is show up here and pick up and go. It is already paid for,” said Deschatelets.
More farmers will be at the market in the coming weeks as seasonal food becomes available.
“Asparagus probably next week and as the season progresses there will be more and more.”
The forced closing of the winter market hurt quite a few of the businesses.
“Some were lucky they could make sales online in between seasons. It hurt the market but at the same time we utilized the time to plan for this summer market,” said the market chair.
“The vibe here is that we’re all happy that we still have our market going. Things are a bit different but that’s the way it goes. We’re just happy that we can make this happen.”
Stephanie Vezina’s Cookie Gal business was one of those impacted by the winter market closing.
“It has been a difficult two months. It was hard on all of us, I think. Baking is my passion and it makes people happy, and I was really, really sad that we couldn’t do it for the winter market,” said Vezina.
“Looking around I think we’re all pretty excited and positive. This is all brand new to everybody, but we’re all doing what we can to keep everybody safe. I’m sad that we’re not all here. We’ve got some really good friends and some artisans that aren’t able to come out.”
Marlene Link of Marlene’s Bread and Buns was also happy to be back.
“It is exciting. This is my fun summer project,” said Link.
“We’ve put up sneeze guards and we’re staying six feet away. I think getting out and getting fresh air is good.”
Joellen Hummel took safety precautions for shopping comfort at her booth, Joellen’s Home Comforts.
“We had to get the barrier up for customer service, we have hand sanitizer, we’re wearing gloves and we are doing six feet social distancing,” explained Hummel who was enjoying her return to market life.
“People are starting to arrive. It will just be nice to see people out again. It was sad when they had to close the winter market. Once we close down, we don’t see people then until our next summer market. So, it has been a long two months. It is nice to see the regular’s come by and say hello. We see people in the summer that we don’t see in the winter and visa versa.”
Hilda Tota of Midlothian Valley Farm in Burks Falls wore a big smile as she set up her booth.
“We’ve very happy to be here. It brings a lot of hope and we’re happy to serve the community.”
Vendors who do not sell food will have a longer wait to return to the market.
‘There are already plans for reopening certain businesses the Premier announced, so at some point it might happen, maybe further along in the season,” said Deschatelets.
”But for now, we’re focusing on the food because that is what we’re allowed to and do as much as we can for now.”
The market will be open again next Saturday at its Oak Street location from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m..
