Final 2 Morgantown Winter Farmers Markets cancelled

The Morgantown Farmers Market will not be holding its final two winter markets because ofCOVID-19.

“As a market, we understand how much COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s day-to-day lives and to have one more thing affected can be troublesome and inconvenient,” Market Manager Ayron Walker said.

However, the decision to cancel the remaining two April markets was made after Gov. Jim Justice’s Monday executive order, which limits gatherings in Monongalia County to five or less people.

Keeping the market open while following that order would require a lot of organizational and structural changes in order to follow proper social distancing requirements, Walker said.

“Food is essential, I think we can all agree on that, and it is a difficult balancing act between community well-being and supporting the local farm economy,” she said.

The market still plans to open for its first summer market at 8:30 a.m. May 2, Walker said.

Curbside pickup and online ordering are being looked into and the market is developing plans to meet social distancing guidelines for operating the farmers market. More information will be released through the newsletter, website — morgantownfarmersmarket.org — and social media, Walker said.

Information is typically also available through The Dominion Post.

Not everyone believes closing the market was the right move. Ted Hastings, an advocate for greater regional food security, said the market is more important than ever as national supply chains are disrupted because of the pandemic.

“I never want to see our food access limited,” he said. “We’re seeing an emergency is letting fear slow down our regional distribution and we can’t have that because the nationwide distribution is so fragile with the way trucking works that we need regional distribution.”

TWEET @WillDean_DP