Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market to open on May 1

Rachael Myers, right, of Little Foot Foods, uses plastic wrap on her tent at the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market on Saturday, May 30, 2020 to help maintain physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ricardo Veneza / CTV Windsor)

Windsor, Ont. — The Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market is coming back next month.

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association announced Thursday that the popular market will open on Saturday, May 1 at 8 a.m.

The Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market is celebrating its sixth season on Pelissier Street and Maiden Lane.

It will feature over 40 produce, food and artisanal vendors.

“The rain-or-shine event is forecasted to not only be a welcome gateway to the spring and summer season,” says market manager Steve Green, “but also serves as a sign of hope and recovery. This means that vendors and entrepreneurs will have a space to work, while visitors and residents will again have access to locally grown, farm fresh products.”

Last year, the DWFM worked closely with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and Farmers’ Market Ontario to ensure that social distancing measures and COVID-19 safety protocols were in place when the market opened. Organizers say even stricter protocols will be followed this year.

“We’ve always said the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market is an integral part of the urban/farm linkage,” said Brian Yeomans, DWBIA chair. “Which is why we take the safety and wellbeing of market visitors, vendors, volunteers and staff very seriously. We can establish and meet provincially-approved safety measures, while also ensuring that it’s an enjoyable, pleasurable experience -- the way a farmers’ market should be.”

Some of the 2021 measures will include:

Similar to brick-and-mortar grocery stores, farmers markets are deemed an essential service.