GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Representatives with the Farmers' Market on Broadway say they followed severe weather protocols before deciding to shut down Wednesday's market as storms were actively hitting the area.
Hours before the event, the market posted on Facebook that conditions were improving and the likelihood of severe weather was decreasing, saying, “The Farmers’ Market on Broadway is ON for tonight!... We will continue to monitor conditions closely throughout the day.”
On Broadway, Inc., which operates the market, sent the following statement regarding their decision Thursday:
"In making cancellation or closure decisions regarding the Farmers’ Market on Broadway, and other On Broadway, Inc. events, staff followed the established severe weather protocols and closely monitored forecasts and available data, following guidance from the National Weather Service throughout market day.
Decisions regarding a market closure or cancellation involves multiple individuals, including On Broadway, Inc. Board of Directors members, and are made based on the best information available to us at that time.
As we do following every event and any significant incident, we will conduct a thorough review of this situation and evaluate our procedures. If improvements or adjustments to our plans are warranted, we will make them to help ensure the continued safety of attendees, vendors, programming partners, and staff at our events."
Cindy Hacker, owner of Jedi Woods LLC, a jewelry shop, has been a vendor at The Farmers' Market on Broadway for multiple years. While she faced some damages from the severe weather, she knows many businesses that faced worse.
"I've lived in Green Bay for about 10 years and that is the most unprecedented that I've seen," Hacker said. "I've been in some pretty bad situations as a vendor and have never seen anything like that."
The Farmers’ Market on Broadway runs Wednesday evenings from late May through September in Green Bay’s Broadway District, where neighbors and visitors can support small businesses by browsing booths from more than 100 local vendors.
