Claudia and Dan Sortwell of Churchill Street, Wiscasset have Wednesday, June 3 circled on their calendar. That’s when Wiscasset Farmers’ Market returns to the waterfront from 3 to 6 p.m. The Sortwells hope for a warm, sunny afternoon but they promise the market which they help to organize will go on rain or shine every Wednesday through September.

The market’s return for its second season comes just as state-imposed restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic begin to ease.

“We’ll be practicing safe distancing through the use of the vendor layout, physical barriers, and signage,” Dan Sortwell wrote in an email to Wiscasset Newspaper. He serves as the market’s treasurer. His wife Claudia is the group’s president.

Sortwell owns Big Barn Coffee and roasts his organic coffee in small batches in the barn attached to his home. Claudia designs and makes earrings, necklaces and other jewelry. Lisa Jonassen, the owner of Island Mushroom Co., another farmer’s market vendor serves as secretary.

“Our source for COVID-19 guidance is the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF) and the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets (MFFM),” continued Sortwell. “MFFM has 115 farmers’ market members, many of whom are already in operation. They have been very helpful in fine-tuning our market procedures.”

Over the winter, Sortwell has been active in the Bath Farmers’ Market which until recently has been indoors at the Freight Shed at 27 Commercial St. Not long after social distancing measures went into effect, the market received permission from the city council to move outdoors to the waterfront park.

Besides Big Barn Coffee other vendors of the Wiscasset Farmers’ Market include Island Mushroom, specializing in the sale of mushrooms and mushroom products; Micro-Mainea offering micro-greens, Blue Tin Farm which sells goat meat products and goat’s milk soap, and Creamed Bakery Co., offering freshly made baked goods. Sealyon Farm and Tiny Roots Organic Farm will have tents there as well, selling their produce.

Five of the vendors are returnees from last season. The exceptions are Blue Tin Farm of Edgecomb and Tiny Roots Organic Farm, based in Litchfield.

Katharine Martin-Savage said she can’t wait for the farmers’ market’s return. “I thought it was a wonderful idea when they first came and asked permission to do this,” said Martin-Savage, a member of Wiscasset’s board of selectmen who unanimously approved the market’s permit last year and recently  renewed it..

“Nearly all the vendors are local businesspeople and I’ve always believed in buying local whenever I can. I’m definitely planning to be there when they open and my hope is a lot of other folks will be there to help support them, too,” she commented.

“We have a very active Facebook community. Meghan Olcott of Creamed Bakery did a great job in setting that up,” added Sortwell. “We’ll also be distributing cards with market information as well as placing temporary signs around town on market days.”

Sortwell said he and the other vendors could not have found a better Wiscasset location than on the waterfront. The paved parking area where the market set up its tents and tables is adjacent to the pier, boat launch and town’s restroom facilities. There’s plenty of both on and off-street parking and the waterfront is just a five-minute walk from Main Street.

In its 2019 inaugural season, the market was held Thursday afternoons. Claudia Sortwell said the change to Wednesday was because most vendors were busy participating in other markets on Thursday. She hopes this season will be better than last year but said much depends on how quickly things return to normal.

Learn more on the market’s Facebook page.