Belgrade Lakes Farmers Market

The Belgrade Lakes Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. each Sunday from June 21 through mid-September. The market is located at the 7 Lakes Alliance building at 137 Main St. in Belgrade's village. opens for its 17th season Sunday, June 21.

The market, in its 17th season, will be operating differently this year to ensure the health of the public and its vendors, adhering to guidelines established by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Those include: 

• All vendors must wear face coverings. Customers are asked to please do likewise. 
• Booths will be spaced to allow for safe social distancing. Vendors will set up their booths to allow for as much distance as possible. 
• Extra measures will be taken to keep booths, hands and products clean. All food that can be pre-packaged will be. Customers may not handle products -- this should be done by vendors. Booths will have hand sanitizer and gloves for vendors and customers. Vendors will clean their hands and any surfaces a customer has touched after each transaction.
• There will be no table coverings. Neither will there be food sampling or on-site comsumption by customers. Only food or horticulture products are allowed. 
• Transactions will occur quickly, with limited socializing, to mitigate lines of customers. There will be no music or special events, also to prevent gatherings. If possible, customers will be encouraged to pre-place orders with the vendors. 

Anyone who is feeling ill or displaying COVID-19 symptoms should stay home. 

"We ask for your patience during these times," said Alice VanDerwerken, the market's manager. "Please be respectful of other customers and vendors by maintaining appropriate social distancing." 

For more information, visit belgradelakesmarket.com or call VanDerwerken at 207-397-4214.