A man rides through the Chehalis Community Farmer's Market Tuesday morning on a tricycle while making balloon animals.
Bo Meadors, of Hive 5 Bees, hands out a sample of honey at the Chehalis Community Farmers Market Tuesday morning.
Fiona Lewis sells Yakima organic fruit Tuesday at the Chehalis Community Farmers Market. The market is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through October.
This brightly colored bunch of carrots was available Tuesday at the Buckleberry Farm booth at the Chehalis Community Farmers market. The market is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through October.
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On the cusp of its 16th season, the annual Chehalis Community Farmers Market is going to look much, much different than it has in years past.
Due to statewide COVID-19 restrictions, non-essential vendors will not be included this season, only produce and food products. The total number of vendors this year is expected to be 12, about two-thirds less than usual.
The market’s season opener is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 2, the first Tuesday of the month, and will be open every Tuesday until late October. There will be two hand-washing stations on site, as well as social-distancing tape on the concrete to guide patrons on how far away to stand from others in lines. There will be no chairs for anyone to sit down.
The biggest addition this year is a new online store, which will allow people to buy anything that is available for sale at the market. Customers can login and shop by farm or product, the volunteers will put the orders together and the items can be picked up at the market.
Other farmers markets in Lewis County will have their items available for purchase, as well, including Centralia Farmers Market and the Toledo Thursday Market. Erickson said they hope to have the option ready by the time the market opens on June 2.
Look for the online ordering tab on the main page of the market’s website at www.chehalisfarmersmarket.com. For more information, follow the market’s updates on Facebook, or sign up for the E-newsletter by emailing info@chehalisfarmersmarket.com
With only essential items available at the market this year, some of the biggest events and programs will not be offered, including music, the Kid’s Club and arts and crafts vendors. It won’t be a huge hit financially for the market, which has traditionally been produce-heavy with most of its income generated from vegetables and fruit.
Whether or not hot food vendors will be at the market this year is still up in the air, said Michaelyn Erickson, the Chehalis Community Farmers Market’s marketing manager.
“We have a lot of farmers, which is amazing, compared to some of the other markets in our region and throughout the state,” said Erickson, who’s been the marketing manager since 2017.
But the absence of the non-essential vendors and programs is still an unfortunate exclusion this year.
One of the biggest pieces missing from this year is the Kid’s Club, a program where the market invites a host, such as the Boys and Girls Club of America or the Lewis County Beekeepers’ Association, and the host puts on activities for children ages 5-12. The kids receive tokens that they can use to buy vegetables or fruit from vendors.
“It’s one of our programs we really love and it connects kids with producers in the region that they can get to know as they grow up and form relationships,” Erickson said. “We’re sad about that. It brings a lot of families to the market.”
Erickson was the one part-time employee at the market, but with the cancelation of its two spring fundraisers and plant sale due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she was laid off at the end of March. She still plans to work at the market this summer in a volunteer capacity. The market is run entirely by volunteers and the seven board of directors are nearly all farmers who are vendors at the market.
One thing that is returning is EBT (SNAP) matching, a program that was started last year which allows EBT cardholders to buy fresh produce and be matched dollar-for-dollar. Government funding for the market’s program was significantly reduced this year, but Erickson thinks it should still have a no-cap limit thanks to funding from BNSF Railway.
Founded in 2004, the market has never moved from its location at the corner of Boistfort Street and Market Street. Part of the Washington State Farmers Market Association, the market adheres to its guidelines, meaning all the vendors have to be local producers and nothing is for resale unless it’s inspected. All the farms included are inspected and the Chehalis Community Farmers Market conducts site visits.
“We’re actually one of the oldest farmers markets in the state of Washington,” Erickson said. “I think we’re in the top-10 at least. Prior to that, there were a lot of community markets. The difference would be we became members of the Washington State Farmers Market Association.”
The market is still accepting vendor applications for this season. Anyone interested in becoming a vendor can access the vendor application at the red tab at the bottom right of the market’s website.
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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.
