The use of cow bells on livestock dates back more than 5,000 years ago around the Iron Age. The inventor will never be known and, athough cows do don the noisy necklaces, the predator-preventative accessory can be worn by horses, goats and sheep. The bell is for more than just an organic wind chime. They serve to scare off predators and more recently, one serves to sound off the start of the market.

As the market has adapted over the past month to provide a healthier environment to remain open during the Coronavirus, it enforced vendors to only sell via preorders to decrease the amount of perusing and socializing. Allowing customers to grab their preorders before the official start of our market, 4pm, also created an opportunity for a smaller amount of people gathering within a two-hour window. As the city has begun to open back up, the market feels its important to regain structure to how operations once were.

Each vendor has the choice to provide product how they see fit. Some are still requiring preorders only. Some are taking preorders and bringing extra product to the market for those who miss the preorder windows. And some are just bringing product and setting up pre-Covid style. During this time of transition, the market prides itself in being an independently-run non-profit that creates an opportunity to connect our community to local food and small businesses. That being said, each vendor brings their own style to the market and therefore should have the opportunity to operate how they choose as long as it doesn’t negatively affect fellow vendors, customers or the market.

Selling before the 4pm bell, although it helped decrease crowds during the initial outbreak, will no longer be permitted which means guest bell ringers are needed! One of the market manager’s duties was to sound the bell to start the market but let’s engage the community in the food movement even more by ringing the cowbell!

Look for the “Ring In The Market” sign and let us know you want to help get the market mooo-ving!