With new safety measures in place
The Gilmer County UGA Extension Service has been given a green light for the Ellijay Farmers Market to open, the county’s agriculture extension agent confirmed last week.
The market will open for the first day of its 2020 season Saturday, June 13, from 8 a.m.-noon.
It will be held in the usual location along Broad Street across from the Gilmer County Courthouse. The market will continue on Saturdays through the first weekend of October.
“I got the official go-ahead this morning,” said extension agent Ashley Hoppers last Friday. “I’ve asked our master gardeners, who are in charge of the project, to notify vendors and get it moving as quickly as possible.”
New safety precautions and procedures will be in place as the market opens amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Master gardeners and vendors will wear masks and we prefer that customers wear masks, as well,” said Julia Padgett, of the Gilmer Master Gardener Extension Volunteers.
“Please wear masks. Wearing masks while shopping at the market will help protect our customers, our vendors and our volunteers,” Hoppers emphasized.
“During this time, we also encourage customers to not handle produce or other market items for sale. Under normal shopping conditions, inspecting produce and even giving it a good sniff is a normal part of the shopping experience. However, if you happen to have the virus on your hands, handling produce may increase the possibility of spreading COVID-19 to others,” she added.
Social distancing will also be used in operating the market.
“Research has shown that it’s very difficult to transmit this virus if you aren’t close to another person, so another request we have of our guests is to please maintain social distancing at all times. We understand this can be difficult, especially when you see the perfect basket of produce,” said Hoppers.
“In the past, the farmers market has been an ideal place for social gatherings, but with the ongoing spread of the virus, we also ask that you join us at the market to shop, but not to linger or gather in large groups. We want to see everyone and for our vendors and patrons to enjoy the experience, but we also want to emphasize safety. By working together, we believe we can have a safe market all season.”
Padgett said the market will adopt a “one-way” aisle layout and hand sanitizer will be available at multiple locations. Due to health and safety concerns, pets will not be allowed, she added.
“The vendor booths are on both sides of the street and each side will be one way traffic. Six-foot social distancing will be in place. Our current space should accommodate this, even with each vendor having the equivalent of two spaces. If necessary, we can extend onto the street between the parking lot and the back of the welcome center. There will be ample signage directing customers on navigating the one-way aisles,” Padgett noted.
A plan for how to safely reopen the market -— run entirely by volunteers who’ve undergone the extension service’s master gardener program — has been in the works for some time. It usually opens the last weekend in April.
“It was difficult to navigate. Extension offices are involved in a lot of community markets to some degree, but I don’t know of any that are 100 percent extension-ran like Gilmer’s. That’s why we’ve been kind of slow about opening. We’re not operating as a university system right now, so this is like a special case,” Hoppers said.
Many senior citizens, who are in a high-risk group for contracting the virus, participate in running the weekly market, she noted.
“We know this is an important service to the community and we wanted to deliver it as soon as we could,” Hoppers said.
“It’s just taken longer to get to the point to where we feel safe for our volunteers, our community, our vendors and everybody else.”
Hoppers commended those volunteers for staying the course and working over the last few months to get the market going under different conditions.
“We’d like to thank our longtime patrons, volunteers and vendors who make this farmers market possible. Thank you for your patience as we’ve worked to find a way to safely operate under the new normal we’re all facing,” she said.
“Our Gilmer County Master Gardeners have worked extremely hard to operate the market as safely as possible and we’re taking every effort within our abilities to make (it) a place where you can feel safe while purchasing locally-grown vegetables and other products.”
Padgett said the master gardeners expect vendors to be on hand selling such goods as homegrown produce, honey, jams and jellies, fresh eggs, fresh-baked bread and pastries, as well as handmade jewelry, pottery and crafts. Because of health reasons, food samples will not be offered.
“We’re thrilled that the market is opening, although later than normal due to the COVID-19 guidelines. We are so excited to see our market vendors and customers again. It’s a Gilmer County tradition,” Padgett said.