Since 2005, Glenwood’s Downtown Market & Music Series has set up every Tuesday in Centennial Park during the summer months.
This year, the market will carry on but with noticeable adjustments for COVID-19 — no live music or artisans and food and non-alcoholic beverages only.
“It’s going to be more shop and go, no lingering and we’ll have to limit the crowd that comes in,” board member Cindy Svatos said.
Booths will be positioned at least 6 feet apart and hot food vendors will only be allowed to serve their offerings to-go.
Historically, Glenwood’s Downtown Market & Music Series has operated out of Centennial Park at the corner of Ninth and Grand Avenue.
This year, the market will relocate to its new home on Seventh Street; a move that had been in the works since before the COVID-19 crisis.
Svatos said vendors will set up along Seventh Street between the elevators and Cooper Avenue.
“It was a hard decision,” Svatos said of the relocation. “I think it’ll work out really (well).”
With an opening date of June 23, Glenwood’s Downtown Market & Music Series will begin two weeks later than usual this year.
Like years past, though, the market will still be open from 4-8 p.m. every Tuesday until Sept. 15.
“I know we have three good produce growers coming in,” Svatos said. “We’ve never been really big.”
Frank Martin, a local musician who has been performing at Glenwood’s Downtown Market & Music Series for nearly a decade, said he always looked forward to the market’s open-air and casual audiences.
“I’ll miss playing,” Martin said. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen for performing artists.”
Kitti Sanderson and her husband Bobby Sanderson, who co-own Aspen Mini Donuts, had mapped out a busy festival season prior to the pandemic.
“This year was going to be a banner year for us,” Kitti Sanderson said.
Several festivals, including Strawberry Days and Glenwood’s Fourth of July celebration, have already canceled due to health and safety concerns as a result of the pandemic.
“We’ve had at least 10 events cancel,” Sanderson said.
The Sandersons still plan on serving as many donuts as they can at Glenwood’s Downtown Market & Music Series this summer.
“This unfortunate situation has impacted any vendor that’s in this line of work greatly,” Sanderson said. “We’re all hoping and banking on these farmers’ markets to kind of save us.”
mabennett@postindependent.com