The Mountjoy Farmers' Market is back for another season.
It will look a little different this summer, though.
The popular market featuring local farmers and crafters is kicking off its 2020 season Saturday, July 4 from 9 a.m. to noon. It's in the parking lot of the Mountjoy Historical Conservation Area (Participark) on Riverside Drive, just west of the Mattagami Bridge.
This is the second summer it's being held at the park.
“We’d love to make it bigger and better, but at this point this year we’re just happy to be able to host it and to make it safe for all the people that come visit us,” said Rock Whissell, Porcupine District Agricultural Society president.
To help maintain physical distancing, vendors will have 10 x 10 tents spaced out six feet apart, said Whissell.
Arrows are painted on the asphalt to control the flow of people through the market.
For the opening day, he said there will be at least 17 vendors set up. The maximum they can hold is 20.
With COVID-19, the decision to have the market this year was only made about a month ago.
“The farmers were deemed essential but then there’s the responsibility of putting my volunteers in that situation. Because of people following the rules in grocery stores, we’re used to it so we don’t have to enforce it as much,” he said, adding there's a knowledge of the rules in the community already.
“I feel comfortable that our citizens will continue following the protocols that have been in place for the last three months."
Because the 2020 fall fair was cancelled due to the pandemic, expect to see hints of the event throughout the summer at the market.
Next weekend, Whissell hopes to have baby chicks for people to look at. The baby contest will also run on Facebook in August.
“We’ll have small activities throughout that are COVID-friendly,” he said.
