HS farmers market set to reopen Saturday with numerous changes
The Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market will open its main season on Saturday as scheduled after a close 4-3 vote by its board of directors last week, board President Meredith Finn said Wednesday.
“Every two weeks we would really revote. We would look over the new information, what the scientists were saying, what our local Dr. Gene Shelby (county health officer) was saying, and vote. We were trying to kind of follow the pattern, and every two weeks we would take another vote,” Finn said.
“Well, this last two weeks’ round, which was last week, everything seemed to be kind of opening back up and loosening and we voted. We’re trying to keep our main season intact. It’s not going to look the same or feel the same, and that is heartbreaking, but we’ll be there.”
A news release from the board said the market will remain open until further notice and “operate with limits and conditions based on the guidelines provided by the Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Agriculture, ‘COVID-19 Guidance for Farmers Markets.’”
The market will provide food only. No artisans or live music will be permitted. The board will reevaluate the decision in June, Finn said.
“The market is going to look and feel very different for the next few months, so we’re asking everyone to be patient, use hand sanitizer often, and wear a mask for your safety,” said Finn. “There will be food vendors only, and no live music or demonstrations. We are encouraging one at a time, no groups, and please observe a 6-foot social distance with vendors and other patrons. Many of our vendors offer online sales with pick up and/ or delivery, so please inquire with them about other options.”
However, farmers who regularly attend the year-round market say they never stopped selling fresh produce and local meats despite a brief, official shutdown of the market that occurred just around eight weeks ago, according to two local farmers
“This closing it down occurred during winter market and at the winter market, there’s not nearly as many vendors and not nearly as many customers, but we’re open anyway. And so what we did when they told us that the market was gonna be closed down, they didn’t say for how long, we just moved our business into the farmers market parking lot,” said Lester Meredith with Ouachita River Valley Farms. He and his family have sold fresh produce at the market for “17 or 18 years.”
“We set up out there every Saturday. My group has always gone; that’s me, my wife, and son. We haven’t missed but one Saturday, that was Christmas, all year. It was closed during Christmas
weekend.” JV Farms, a popular market vendor from Bismarck, also adapted quickly to the closing of the farmers market, using the parking lot as a meeting place for delivery orders.
“We are a small farm that is diversified where we raise seasonal vegetables. We also have laying hens and we raise pork, chicken, and beef and sell that at the farmers market. … When the market actually shut down and said, ‘We’re not going to host them for business,’ we put together a website,” said Jay Lee of JV Farms.
“People have been going online, Sunday through Wednesday, and placing their orders. And then we bring that to the farmers market already harvested and packaged up for them, or if it’s out of the freezer, already sorted and put together for the different items that they ordered. We have that ready to go, where they don’t have to muddle around in a shop. It’s real quick, it’s already been done and paid for, and there’s a kind of grab-n-go situation.”
Finn said she and the board are working to ensure vendors and shoppers maintain safe social distances and operate in accordance with guidelines from the Arkansas Department of Health and ADA. At least one board member will be present to monitor the market at all times and tape on the ground will indicate distances of 6 feet.
“Spaces will be limited to one vendor between pillars, and vendors will be staggered on either side of the aisle so they are not directly across from one another. Both gates will be locked during market hours to limit access to foot traffic only. There will be someone stationed at the north and south end to limit the flow, if the market becomes crowded, and to advise customers of the guidelines. These ‘checkpoints’ will be marked with orange cones and signs. Signs will be placed at points along the sidewalks around the pavilion to direct traffic and inform patrons of the guidelines,” market Manager Chad Olszewski said in the release.
The board is asking both vendors and shoppers to observe the following rules: vendors and patrons who are sick are encouraged not to attend the market; patrons will not be allowed to self-serve from vendors’ tables; items will be bagged by the vendor; vendors and patrons should exercise care when making payments and wash hands or use hand sanitizer between transactions; everyone will be expected to follow all posted guidelines at the market; observe vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow patterns as marked and/or instructed; vendors are required to wear face coverings and patrons are encouraged to wear a face-covering; and they are permitting individual shoppers only, no groups, no pets.
“We essentially are functioning as a grocery store. There won’t be any live music or be demonstrations, there won’t be any artisans or crafts, or any of that; it will strictly be food. In fact, we have some farmers and some vendors who do food and other things, crafty things, and we’re asking them not to bring any of that. We are strictly a grocery store, at least for the next month,” Finn said.