From June until October, downtown Moscow buzzes with more life and activity as the community gathers for the weekly farmers market. Students and community members alike come to shop for fresh produce and handcrafted items.
I had never been to a Farmers Market before attending one in Moscow last September.
While I went for a class assignment, I still enjoyed walking around for hours under the warm sun, exploring the booths, listening to musicians and singers, watching dancers and doing some shopping. People come from all directions, milling about with wagons, bags and backpacks filled to the brim with their purchases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably changed this experience. There is now a reserved time for at-risk patrons to shop and a limited number of community members are allowed in the market at a time, entering and leaving the market through monitored entryways.
However, as students return for the school year, I can’t help but think about the thousands of people who may try to attend the market to relax and take a break from homework and classes like they may have done before. Although UI classes and assignments have changed as much as anything else in Moscow, there may still be assignments like the one I completed when I first attended the market.
I don’t think it’ll have as big an impact as some may expect, though.
The Moscow Farmers Market has been operating through the busy summer months as people travel through Moscow from all over, so incoming students should be no different. Students have a set of rules to follow on-campus, and this school-enforced reminder should help us remember to follow these new social norms off campus as well. The same CDC guidelines which influence these rules also influence the rules of the farmers market.
Everyone, students or not, should be wearing a face covering when necessary, frequently washing their hands, keeping 6 feet away from others and quarantining when sick. All those things are required at the market as well.
The university’s efforts to educate students on COVID-19 guidelines and test those entering Moscow will help keep the public safe. By extension, this will help the market run smoother as the students begin attending community events.
As move-in times get closer, everyone should be keeping in mind how we can protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. While I want to enjoy my time at UI and get a good education, I also want to have fun in this community we call home for nearly nine months out of the year.
Kim Stager can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @journalismgoals