SUNDRE — Albeit with public health measures in place as the province continues to cope with the pandemic’s third and largest wave to date, people will later this week have the opportunity to peruse a variety of vendor tables at three farmers’ markets in the area, including a new addition.
Organizers of the inaugural Cowboy Trail Market, who in March received a development permit from Mountain View County’s municipal planning commission to proceed, anticipate going ahead this Saturday, May 22 running weekly weekend markets from 4-7 p.m. until the Sunday of Thanksgiving in October, said Gerald Ingeveld.“It’s brand new over there at the old Champion Hay Plant,” Ingeveld told The Albertan last week during a phone interview.
“As far as we stand right now with COVID restrictions, we are still able to go ahead,” said Ingeveld.“There’s lots of things that we have to do of course — or not do, as it were. We’re going under pretty much the same rules that we operated all of the farmers’s markets under last year,” he said.
That means wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing, he said.
However, plans to feature plenty of entertainment unfortunately have been postponed for the time being. And initial hopes to provide a meal for everybody over the course of the market’s first couple of days had to be reconsidered as well, he said.
“We’ve got lots of picnic tables, but we have to put them away until things loosen up,” he said, referring to restrictions.
“We’re going to still try and do some kind of lunch for everybody. But it’ll have to be a take-a-package-and-leave sort of thing,” he added.
A directional flow of one-way traffic guided by arrows should theoretically help people safely move through the market while maintaining a safe distance, he said.
“We’re going to operate just like the grocery stores, where we just expect people to do the right thing — keep their spacing and that.”
As of last week, he said there were about 40 vendors lined up.
“That’s not bad for getting started brand new,” he added.
Plus, there’s plenty of space to expand.
“We’ve got room for about 50 vendors inside the main heated building,” he said, adding another adjacent covered building could accommodate about as many more, with a further two-acres of property available.
Sundre Farmers Market
Before people check out the Cowboy Trail Market, they’ll have a chance to drop by the Sundre Curling Rink this Friday, May 21 for the return of the annual Sundre Farmers Market.
The set up, said organizer Karen Campbell, will largely be identical to last year and feature a split entrance and exit ramp for one-way in and out traffic.
“We’re going to go with all of the protocols that are suggested,” said Campbell. “We’re very vigilant about distancing and masks and all of the requirements that our society is encouraged to follow right now.”
However, the capacity limit was for this season reduced to 10 per cent of the building’s fire code from last year’s 15 per cent, she said.
“But we’re a big building. So, that’ll still allow a number of people in there.”
Additionally, there will be a greeter not only welcoming patrons at the main entrance but also keeping track of numbers to ensure capacity restrictions are adhered to, she said.
Recognizing that many people enjoy a chance to catch up with others in the community while they check out the goods, Campbell respectfully requests that any such interactions be taken outdoors.
“If you want to socialize, well that’ll have to be outside in the parking lot please,” she said.
The main difference from last and prior years, is the hours of operation.
“The big change to note, is we are opening a half an hour earlier,” said Campbell.
Previously running from 5-7:30 p.m., the market will now open its doors to the public at 4:30 p.m. and close at 7 p.m., she said, adding the idea is to “just to allow people a little bit more time in the afternoon to shop before evening sets in. Once you get home after a full week’s work, you don’t want to get up and go again, you want to just put your feet up!”
Regulars at the market can expect to find a few familiar faces among the vendors, as well as some new ones, she said.
“The vendors are checking in regularly. There’s lots of vendors — they’re excited about coming.”
Bergen Farmers Market
Although getting started a little later, the Bergen Farmers Market, which last year observed its 10th anniversary, is still a go and expected to start on Saturday, June 26, running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. as usual, said Shelley Ingeveld, manager of both the Bergen and Cowboy Trail markets.
Patrons can also anticipate the same protocols and layout as last year. But since it’s an open-air market, masks are optional, she said.
“Bergen’s outdoors, so masks aren’t mandatory. We suggest strongly to keep in family groups and keep spaced appropriately,” she said.
There are in the event of bad weather contingency plans to relocate into the Bergen Community Hall, which can accommodate 18 tables, she said.
“Some vendors prefer to be outside” under canopies regardless of the weather, she added.
“For the Christmas market (last November), we had six outside, we had 18 inside, and we had 258 people go through,” she said.
“It was almost a mini-blizzard, and people stood in line. They wanted their turn to come inside. They were keen to come for sure, and hopefully they’ll be keen to come again in June,” she said.
The market has a large outdoor space with enough room for perhaps 35 to 40 vendors to spread out. When she spoke with The Albertan last week, Shelley said 26 vendors had already registered, but that more could sign up.
Like last year, hand sanitizer will be available as people arrive and a host will greet people, asking how they’re feeling and reminding them to stay physically distanced from other groups, she said.
“It just makes people stop and think for a moment, and that’s good. We all need little reminders,” she said.
Fencing will help guide a directional one-way flow of traffic so people come in through an entrance and proceed to head out through a different exit, she said.
Shelley candidly confessed harbouring concerns last year that people might be reluctant to come out.
“We wondered if people would be happy last year. But people were happy — they were pleased to come,” she said.
“We had a record day last year. It was late July — 438 people came through the market that day.”
One patron even told her at the time how much she appreciated the precautions that were put in place, said Shelley.
“We had one lady come last year, and she said, ‘I’m so glad that you have the COVID protocols in place. I feel safe coming.’ She was really scared to leave her home, (but) she was OK that day,” she said, adding people generally speaking seemed to enjoy the opportunity as well.
“People are just glad to have some place to go, and they’re really keen to get good, fresh local produce and crafts and so forth.”
