An outdoor market held in Chatham on Saturday went off without a hitch.
Chatham-Kent police said officers monitored the all-day Armoury Market at Tecumseh Park and found no violations and therefore didn't lay any charges. Organizer Lisa Lester said more than 1,700 people attended the event and everything went very smoothly. Lester said police officers checked on the market early in the day and left them alone because everything was operating within the provincial COVID-19 guidelines. She said the market was amazing and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
"Completely safe and peaceful! Everyone was having a great time! It was so great to see a sense of community again," said Lester. "The police stopped by and talked to me in the morning and saw everything was running smoothly and left us alone for the rest of the day."
Lester added all businesses should be allowed to operate at a limited capacity and outdoors.
"We need to start opening and an outdoor market is a great stepping stone for that," she added.
The province announced on Monday that Step 1 of Ontario's new reopening plan will start on Friday, allowing Ontarians to frequent stores, go camping, and dine on patios.
Municipal and police officials asked Lester last week to postpone the market after getting some public complaints but she said she knew deep in heart that the market followed all the rules and decided to go ahead with it any way after working with public health, bylaw enforcement, and police.
"Outdoor markets are happening everywhere and this is why I knew it could be done in Chatham too. They are considered safe since they are outdoor and since they sell "primarily" food, it is allowed even under a stay at home order -- just like going to a grocery store," Lester said.
Lester said the market was postponed three times previously and some of her vendors had already prepared food for Saturday and would lose money if it was delayed again. She said 65 per cent of the vendors offered packaged food to take away and the food was not allowed to be consumed on-site, which is in line with the current COVID-19 rules.
She added new dates will be announced soon for future markets.