The rhododendrons and irises are gloriously blooming, as the greens on the hills are becoming more vibrant by the minute. Must be time for the Shelburne Falls Farmers’ Market season to begin!
Yes, we’re back, opening as usual on Memorial Day weekend (this Friday, May 28th), at our usual 2:00 – 6:30 time, and at our usual spot on the Green (at the intersection of Main Street & Water Street). Many of last year’s vendors will be back with us on Friday, including:
• Barberic Farm
• Davenport Maple Farm
• Freeman Farm
• Good Bunch Farm
• Margaret Olin — Healing Therapies
• Native Shade Nancy’s Backyard
And joining us for the first time this season:
• Colrain and Snow Shop
• Forestopia
(For more information on the vendors who’ll be with us this year, please visit our vendor page. (And the list keeps getting longer!)
This year, we’re able to have musicians join us, starting with our first Market! Thank you to Kevin Jones for opening our Market season! He’ll be with us from 3:00 – 6:00, and his live guitar & voice performances (with digital accompaniments) are mainstream jazz-standards, swing, blues Latin, and more.
On our opening day, some things will be the same as last year, but with the changing situation around the COVID-19 pandemic, some things will be different, too. We’ve been guided by all CDC, Mass DPH, and local BOH requirements and recommendations, and have been adopting policies and procedures with the goal of keeping our customers, vendors, and community healthy.
Here are the procedures that we need to ask customers and visitors to the Market to follow on May 28th:
-If you are sick, please stay home, and if you start to feel sick at the market, please go home.
-Everyone is required to wear a face covering (except for children under 2 and folks who, because of a medical condition, cannot).
-People are to practice social distancing by staying 6 feet apart as much as possible.
-Customers will not be allowed to handle merchandise. The vendor will show you their goods, collect your order, bag it if appropriate, and place it on a table for you to take.
-Payment will be done using as little contact as possible. Vendors will be set up to minimize the touching of card readers, money, pens, etc. as much as possible.
-Washing &/or sanitizing between customers will be done as necessary.
-No eating nor drinking will be allowed within the Market space.
These are quite a few differences, and it’s a lot to remember. We’ll have volunteers with us to help (Thank you, volunteers!!), and our signs and colorful market-markings should help, too!
We’ll keep you updated as things change and restrictions are gradually lifted.
So, while for now, we may not be able to move as freely through the Market or chat & socialize as long as we’d like, we ask everyone to be patient as we navigate this changing territory together. Yes, the Market may feel a little different right now and not look quite like it does in the photo, but we’re so thankful to be able to open again, and for all the support we’ve gotten from the community! Yay for this wonderful touch of “normalcy” on Friday afternoons!
Shelburne Falls Farmers Market 