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Millarville Farmers' Market numbers down slightly

Attendance has dropped slightly for Foothills County’s largest farmers’ market in a time when face masks and hand sanitizer have become the norm.
SA - Millarville Farmer's Market (9)
Ingrid Dallinga, of Calgary, balances plants she purchased at opening day of the Millarville Farmers’ Market on June 20. The market runs every Saturday until Oct. 10. (Western Wheel File Photo)

Attendance has dropped slightly for Foothills County’s largest farmers’ market in a time when face masks and hand sanitizer have become the norm.

Millarville Farmers’ Market manager Melonie McKee said the popular market – which runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Millarville Racetrack - is seeing an average of over 2,100 visitors a day compared to the 2,400 average it sees in a typical year.

“We’re down a little bit just because we’re not having our events, but we’re still getting 2,100 to 2,200 people coming through in a day so it’s not down a whole bunch,” said McKee. “The vendors are saying that they’re doing really well, too.”

Several changes had been implemented for the June 20 to Oct. 10 market season including restrictions on the number of vendors and visitors allowed, in accordance with Alberta Health Services guidelines in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The market is operating at almost half capacity, with an estimated 95 vendors spaced eight feet apart. Only 350 visitors are allowed in at a time and must follow a specified flow of traffic with only two customers permitted at each vendor at a time, said McKee.

“We have permission to let more people in if our lineups get long,” she said. “A couple weekends we bumped it up to 400 and we still had lots of space for people.”

The market closed its concession, cancelled its live music and hay rides and prohibited entry into its buildings. It was also forced to cancel its events, such as the Priddis & Millarville Fair, which was held on a much smaller scale online instead.

In addition, the total number of vendors dropped from 185 in previous years to 140, McKee said.

“We accepted a lot of part-time vendors,” she said. “Some switch out weekends, but some didn’t want to come due to COVID so it just worked itself out. I didn’t really have to not accept anyone.”

Among the returning vendors is Greidanus Honey, a High River commercial honey producer that’s been a vendor at the market since it started almost 40 years ago.

“We do the market because we like to bring a local product to the people of the Foothills and surrounding communities,” said co-owner Graham Strom. “We have a great natural product. It’s a taste of their environment and we enjoy meeting people we’ve gotten to know over the more than three decades that we’ve been at it.”

Strom said while this year has been unique for vendors, it turned out better than he expected with sales close to previous years.

“I think everybody had a big question mark over what it would be like and a lot of people, including myself, had low expectations, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the number of people who have come out,” he said. “The market has been well organized and after the first one or two markets everyone seems to have settled into the routine and the market has been going really well.

"The local community has been very supportive and I’m glad to see everybody coming out and continuing to support the Millarville Market.”

Like Strom, McKee is also happy with how the year turned out despite the pandemic.

“I really wasn’t sure what to expect - everything was so unknown - but I was just so pleasantly surprised to see everybody out and shopping and supporting local,” she said. “I think the supporting local movement is growing a lot through this and it’s really supporting our vendors and the race track in general.”

This year’s changes were met with a new trend amongst the market’s visitors, McKee said.

“What we’re seeing is in the morning time it seems to be the older generation that is mostly wearing masks and coming in and coming out quite quickly and after about 10:30, 11 we start to see families and younger people and not so many masks,” she said. “Our visitors have been really great following the signage, social distancing, washing their hands before entry and leaving the market and we haven’t really had to do much for mitigation as far as that goes.”

McKee said market attendance will drop for the months of September and October, and that market staff is starting to prepare for the Nov. 5-8 Christmas market.

“We’re just in the planning stages with that right now with Alberta Health Services and a few other bits and pieces before we lay out our plan,” she said. “Next year I hope we’re back to some kind of normal.”

Throughout July, the Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society hosted its online Millarville Experience Auction to help recoup lost revenue at the Millarville Racetrack this year and raised $16,750, with more than 450 bids.

Its next fundraising initiative is a virtual 50/50.

Those planning to visit the Millarville Farmers’ Market are being asked to make a donation rather than pay the $3 per vehicle fee.

For more details about the market visit http://www.millarvilleracetrack.com/

Tammy Rollie, OkotoksToday.ca

For updated information, follow our COVID-19 special section for the latest local and national news on the coronavirus pandemic, as well as resources, FAQs and more.

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