Othello Farmers Market open for season
Isaac Hernandez and Maria Dominguez wait at their stand at the Othello Farmers Market last Thursday.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune
Isaac Hernandez helps out customers at the Othello Farmers Market on Thursday afternoon as the market comes to a close.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Booths were limited at the Othello Farmer's Market last Thursday due to high temperatures, but customers still found their way out for the afternoon.
Eli Barajas, left, and Karla Rangel, pack up products for the day at La Popular’s booth at the Othello Farmers Market on Thursday.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune
OTHELLO — The Othello Farmers Market has opened its doors for the summer in a new location.
The market is still open from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, but it’s moved from its downtown location to the new El Rancho Events Center at the intersection of Highway 28 and West Bench Road. Market manager Sharon Skorick said the move was due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The market will be open each Thursday through Aug. 27.
The market’s usual location in Pioneer Park couldn’t meet the requirements for traffic flow and social distancing, Skorick said. “It’s just a real different year for it (the farmers market),” she added.
The market is limited to eight vendors, but hasn’t filled up all its spaces in the first two weeks. Skorick said she anticipated that more vendors would be setting up shop for the third market on Aug. 6.
Attendance has been lower than in 2019.”We’re about half (in attendance) of what we normally have,” she said.
“It’s been a little different this year because of COVID (the coronavirus),” said Erika Rattray, owner of the Ironworks Cafe and Market. She was there July 30, selling doughnut peaches sourced from an orchard near Basin City.
Market managers have met all the regulations required to operate in coronavirus conditions. “We have a really safe market environment,” she said. The market is providing masks, gloves and hand sanitizer for customers and vendors. The masks were donated by city officials; the gloves were donated by Columbia Basin Health Association, and Leo Gaeta, owner of El Rancho, donated the hand sanitizer, she said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
