A dozen vendors are ready for next week’s opening of the Williams Lake Farmers Market on Friday, May 8.
Board member Barb Scharf said she’s been consulting with the City of Williams Lake to fine tune the layout of the market in the parking lot at Cariboo Memorial Complex will ensure physical distancing requirements meet COVID-19 precautions.
“With only 12 vendors there will be lots of space to spread out,” she told the Tribune Friday. “It’s a work in progress.”
Markets provide a huge portion of some of the vendors’ incomes so it will be interesting to see how the season unfolds, she added.
The board has been watching other markets that are already up and running in the province and hearing some are super busy.
People attending the market in Williams Lake will use one entrance in and an exit out.
They will be encouraged to maintain a two-metre distance from others, unless they are a family, and even at that, if possible patrons are asked to send one family member to the market.
No customers will handle food items, that will be done by the vendors.
All of the vendors will be selling food items or food related items, such as food bearing plants and seedlings.
“We have a full slate from a meat vendor selling beef, bread makers, baking, herbal teas and spring greens,” Scharf said.
Around 20 vendors have shown an interest in creating an online shop and once those are confirmed, Scharf said that information will be shared via the market’s Facebook page.
“We hope to publish that in the next few days,” Scharf said.
Read more: McLeese Lake Farmers Market secures license for Buy BC brand
Additionally there are two local plant businesses in the process of applying for licences and if approved they will be set up adjacent to the market as well, she added.
Scharf lives on the Fraser River and said their property has not been impacted by flooding.
“The river came up but nowhere near where it’s peaked in the past, however, we usually start to see higher river levels beginning in the middle of May to the middle of June. Other areas have seen a huge spring freshet though and people are riding things out.”
Spring is also about two weeks behind, she added, noting normally the lilacs would be starting to show and there’d be blooms on the fruit trees.
“We don’t know what to expect,” she said.
Read more: Williams Lake Farmers Market adapts to COVID-19 guidelines to open May 8
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