Orillia's farmers' markets are not yet ready to open to the public. As a result, the Coldwater Mill Farmers' Market is encouraging Orillia vendors and shoppers to join them for the summer.
The Coldwater Mill Farmers' Market will be open each Saturday beginning June 20.
“We are delighted and very excited to provide that service to the community. I think it’s what everyone needs right now,” said Coldwater Mill Heritage Foundation char Gwen Robinson.
The farmers' market has been a Coldwater tradition for the past six years and has drawn thousands of locals over the summer months.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinson expects to see less traffic at this year's market, and the environment will be different from years past.
“We can only sell food to begin with. Quite often, in a farmers' market, you can have crafts and flowers,” Robinson explained.
The Coldwater Mill Heritage Foundation is working carefully with area health officials to make sure the farmers' market is a safe environment for everyone.
“We will follow the physical distancing rules, hand sanitization (and) in terms of handling cash and transactions we are talking about how we can do that safely as well,” Robinson said.
This year the farmers' market is in need of more vendors. Robinson believes they can take on all vendors who want to be included.
“We know that a lot of the farmers' markets, likely because of their environment and facilities, can’t provide (this opportunity to) their community,” Robinson said.
“They are in need of a place to sell their goods and the people in our town are looking to shop local, so I think this is a perfect pairing of the two.”
Robinson is encouraging vendors from Orillia to jump on board.
“Maybe the people from Orillia will wander over to see what we have, you never know,” she said.
The Orillia Farmers' Market is expected to return to its space in the Orillia Public Library this summer, says the city's Manager of Tourism, Michael Ladouceur.
"We are looking at putting together draft proposals to begin communication with the health unit to be able to begin the reopening process. We just need to get a few things in line before we are able to safely re-open,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ODAS Park Farmers' Market has opened - online. Some vendors are participating in an online market. You can order here and pick up your farm-fresh goods on Saturday morning at ODAS Park.
Getting the Orillia Farmers' Market up and running in downtown Orillia is a priority, Ladouceur said.
“We want to get the farmers' market back open and get vendors back out there. We just need to make sure we have the right resources, barriers and personal protective equipment in place to make sure both the vendors and the public are protected,” Ladouceur said.
City officials are in communication with vendors to see what kind of safety measures they would like to see put in place as well as what vendors are prepared to do on their own.
“We want to make sure everyone is safe and when people do show up on site, they can have an enjoyable market experience,” Ladouceur said.
Although Ladouceur says there is no current timeline for the return of the farmers' market, he encourages vendors and residents to frequently check Orillia.ca and the city’s social media accounts for the latest information regarding the re-opening.
