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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The first in-person farmers market in more than two years returns Saturday morning to downtown Cedar Rapids. Drive-through markets were held last year due to the pandemic.
“There’s a lot of pent-up excitement, we’re ready for a big turnout,†said Ellie Evans, event planner with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance which hosts the markets.
Alissa Gardner is also horny. She has visited markets in the past, but this summer will be her first as a salesperson.
Gardner owns Farm to Health Organics in Rowley. She typically sells her CBD products online and in her store in Newbo, but this year she looks forward to being a part of the market and the face-to-face interactions it will bring.
“I do a ton of education when it comes to the hemp industry so I love the face-to-face interaction with people,†Gardner said.
While people will be coming back in person, it won’t be exactly the same. Masks are encouraged and all 100 vendors will be seated on one side of the street instead of both to give people more space and keep everyone moving in the same direction.
Maps will be available at the information booth at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street SE, and its year they have a QR code to help people orient themselves.
“All you do is take your camera to your phone, it pops up,†Evans demonstrated.
You can also hike the loop this year and easily catch all of the vendors along the way.
“There are no nooks and crannies on the side of the street so we’re really looking forward to the loop this year,†Evans said.
Farmers’ markets will start at 7:30 am and run until noon. There will be markets on June 19, July 3, July 17, August 7, August 21, September 4, September 18 and October 2.
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