The summer market is opening May 16 at Depot Park in Rutland, 9 AM to 2 PM, every Saturday!
The Agency of Agriculture has provided updated guidance for farmers markets.
One question that has come up is who can vend at the market. All produce, meat, cheese, dairy, eggs, etc. are allowed. No craft vendors are allowed at this time. They also said “Value added agricultural products”. The definition of raw or value-added agricultural products includes all food products or farm items. This would allow hot prepared foods, bakers, pie makers, pickles, etc. All value added products and prepared food items must be pre-packaged and sold to be consumed off site.
Whenever possible, vendors will offer online or phone ordering options to pre-order and pre-pay for pick up. EBT transactions are still allowed.
The market will have a new layout to accommodate additional distance between vendors. Traffic must flow in one direction. There will be signage throughout the market directing shoppers.
Hand sanitizer will be available. Masks are required for vendors and encouraged for customers.
There will be no music and no onsite sampling is allowed.
What you can do as a shopper:
-Don’t come to the market if you are feeling sick.
-Wear a mask.
-Stay 6′ away from other shoppers whenever possible.
-Come with a list and a game plan. Pre-order as much as possible.
Unfortunately, this will not be like a traditional Farmers Market with people shopping around and enjoying a nice sunny day. They want people to come in, get what they want and leave to limit person-to-person contact and casual shopping.
Our hope is that we will be able to operate as normal as the weeks go by but for now we have to adhere to these rules. Please see the attached guidelines for more detail.
