After many complaints and COVID-19 concerns, Overland Park postpones farmers market
After receiving several complaints from residents concerned about further spread of the novel coronavirus, the city of Overland Park announced Tuesday it will postpone its farmers market.
The city was planning to open the market for the season on Saturday, even as other Johnson County cities decided to postpone their own markets. Like grocery stores, farmers markets are considered essential operations under the metrowide stay at home order.
“Despite the efforts we’ve gone through with the safety and health protocols, we still heard from people who were concerned about the health of the public and vendors,” said city spokesman Sean Reilly. “So we heard them, listened to them and decided we would go ahead and close it.”
Earlier, the city had developed several changes in hopes of keeping the market safe for the public. The market would have been moved from its downtown pavilion over to the Matt Ross Community Center parking lot, where vendors would be more spread apart. Events and children’s activities were canceled. And Reilly said rather than the regular 80 vendors, the farmers market would only allow 55.
Overland Park officials had touted the importance of providing fresh, nutritious food to the community during the public health crisis. They also hoped opening the market would help reinvigorate the struggling downtown as businesses remain closed.
But the event draws thousands of shoppers, making it difficult to keep people six feet apart and enforce safety protocols. Reilly said the city heard from several concerned residents, especially as the number of coronavirus cases rapidly grows in Johnson County.
Tuesday morning, Johnson County had reported 10 deaths and 217 cases, the highest number in Kansas. Statewide, there are 900 cases and 27 deaths.
Reilly said the farmers market will open after the stay at home order is lifted.
Many other cities in Johnson County have pushed back the start of farmers market season. The city of Lenexa announced last week that its farmers market, which was scheduled to open on April 25 — after the stay at home order is supposed to be lifted — will be postponed. Merriam is now planning to open its farmers market on May 23.
Markets in Brookside and the River Market in Kansas City are still open.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 5:15 PM.
