Market Closing Was To Protect Vendors, Shoppers, Leaders Say

Friends of the ,  

A decision was made by the Grayslake Farmers Market Board to cancel the July 13 Market due to the aftermath of the 'Storm or Lake County" on Monday, July 11. Many of our friends and families and local businesses not only suffered loss of trees and structural damage to their homes and possessions but also lost power that. 

Power outages persisted through July 13 and we fervently hope that when you read this everyone's power has been restored. The Board did not hesitate in making the decision to shut the Market. 

While the Market may have proven a welcome respite from Mother Nature's fury our main concern was for the safety of our shoppers and vendors. With many traffic lights out our already congested roads were a nightmare to travel and we chose not to add an additional burden to the congestion. 

The loss of power in downtown Grayslake also played a determining part in our decision. Many of our vendors depend on power to keep their refrigeration/freezer units running.  

After the decision was conveyed to our vendors, many who depend on our Market and others for a substantial portion of their summer incomes so we do not take shutting the Market lightly, we were informed by the Lake County Health Department that had the Market been opened or in the process of setting up they would have closed the Market out of food safety concerns. In hindsight closing the Market was the right decision before the Health Department stepped in. 

Physical safety for all was our main concern and the Health Department added food safety as the final concern. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Center Street next Wednesday, July 20 for the next Grayslake Farmers Market  

Sincerely,

Grayslake Farmers Market  

Steve Sarich, board president