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The Market at Red Deer’s 50th season has begun

It seemed like this year’s public market may not happen.
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Alex Villeneuve, Ceres Solutions founder, mans his booth during the weekly public market in the Servus Arena parking lot Saturday morning. Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff

It seemed like this year’s public market may not happen.

But the Market at Red Deer’s 50th season has officially begun, as the first day was held Saturday morning in the parking lot in front of Servus Arena.

“We finally got our final approval on Wednesday, so we had to really get cracking and get ready,” said market owner Dennis Moffat.

In the past, the market would bring in between 10,000 and 15,000 people. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening day of the 2020 season was much slower, said Moffat.

“It’s a start. We’ll overcome all this,” he said.

“It’s such a beautiful day. It really would have been a banner day if things were normal, but I’m so appreciative of the people who are coming even now. I always worry about the vendors, because they make their living this way.”

Moffat said, “we need more people” to attend the market, but he expects attendance to grow as the season goes on.

“There’s a lineup to get in, and we’re only admitting 50 people at once. That’s the regulation,” he said, adding there was just one entrance and exit to limit how many people were inside the market.

The market also had hand-sanitizer stations and no public washroom, he added.

Only a couple of people suggested they should allow more than 50 people at a time, but Moffat said he will follow all government recommendations.

“It’s not the government’s fault that (COVID-19) is here. We’ve got to go with it and do the best we can,” he said.

This is going to be Moffat’s last year operating the public market – his children will take over moving forward.

“This will be a memorable (year) for sure,” he said.

“I was so happy we were able to open, because this will be our 50th opening on the long weekend in May. That’s important. People can put that in their memory and remember it. You don’t have to overdo it to let them know when it gets going.

“I’m appreciative of the vendors who have shown up and the customers who have faith in this.”

The Market at Red Deer runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

On Friday, the City of Red Deer announced 43 Street, between 48 Avenue and 44 Street, will be closed from 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday for the market.



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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Dennis Moffat, Market at Red Deer owner, says he expects the weekly event to grow as the season rolls on. Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff


Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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