MILFORD – Mandatory mask wearing and social distancing won’t keep a good farm down.

On Saturday, Jun. 13, the Milford Farmers Market will resume at 300 Elm St., from 10a.m. – 1p.m., with a few changes.

According to Market manager Adrienne Colsia, there will be a few tweaks to the details listed in last week’s Cabinet.

“We decided that there won’t be arrows directing people,” she said. “We originally thought directing people in a counterclockwise direction might be helpful, but we changed the plan. And there will be two exits, not one. But there will still be only one entrance. There will also be an open area in the middle where people can mill about if they’re social distancing while they wait to go up to a table.”

Vendors will be spread out wider which will take up the entire lot. Fans of the market can continue to expect the freshest farm products as well as meat, fish, olive oil, soaps and other popular items. The farmers market is heavy on what folks might expect, sans music and actual crafts.

“We don’t want it to be a craft fair,” Colsia said. “Local is the key. People, especially right now, really want to know that the food is clean. You won’t find cleaner food.”

Hand sanitizer will be made available to attendees at the entrance. And Colsia stressed that people shouldn’t handle the product until it’s been paid for and bagged by the vendor (she also said shoppers should bring their own reusable bags).

“People can tell the vendor what they want,” she said. “But the vendor will pick it up and give it to the customer, so the customer knows there has been the minimal contact with the goods.”

Colsia said its tricky keeping the crowds plentiful but at the same time, trying to encourage a turnover is key.

“We’re really hoping that people get what they want and then go,” she said. “It sounds kind of weird, but our goal is to get people through, kind of in and out.”

The lack of music is a bit of a downer for people who know only like to buy local and support their local farm, but also listen to locals perform at the market. Colsia hopes that by August, she can resume bringing music acts in.

“That was a tough one,” she said. “But our goal is to keep everyone safe and having music could entice people to linger, which again, we’d like to have as many people be able and gain entrance as possible.”

Colsia hopes that people will be mindful and consciousness.

“People know our social rules with everything that’s going on,” she said. “I had some signs made up that shows two people with a cow between them. We’re hoping that people stand one cow apart.”

The goal is also to allow vendors time to set up on Saturday morning, so Colsia is optimistic that people will understand and not get to the market too early before ten.

Everyone can agree that the farmers market is another signal that some things are returning to some semblance of normal.

“I do agree with that,” she said. “And from what I’ve been hearing from other markets in the state, they’ve been killing it. They’re doing really great business.”

For the most part, Colsia strives for diversity but has had to turn vendors away because the demand to exhibit has been high.

“We have one cheese vendor, one meat, one fish, three bakers – one Swedish, one does Polish fare and one is more mainstream baker,” she said. “There will two skincare product vendors, one craft beer vendor and one wine vendor. I want to attract people to the market. I want people to say, ‘this is an amazing market. There’s so much variety.'”