Bartow Hops into Spring with Upcoming Spring Fling Hop & Shop
by James Coulter
Downtown Bartow helped residents and guests fall into autumn with their Fall Festival in September and get into the holiday spirit with the Mistletoe Market in December. They hope to have people hop into spring with their upcoming Spring Fling Hop & Shop, to be hosted on Sat., Apr. 3.
From 10 am to 4 pm, Downtown Bartow will host countless vendors along their streets, showcasing various wares from crafts and jewelry to jams and jellies. Even the Easter Bunny will be visiting for the smallest attendees to enjoy! A little bit of everything and anything will be available during this inaugural springtime market.
“It is a fun day out in beautiful Downtown Bartow with great places to eat, great retail shops, and a large variety of vendors for people to come out and shop with,” explained Linda Holcomb, Executive Director of Main Street Bartow. “We are always looking for ways to bring people to our beautiful downtown and bring revenue to the downtown shops.”
Main Street Bartow routinely hosts outdoor markets to draw in residents and guests alike to Downtown Bartow. They had previously hosted similar events such as the Fall Festival and Mistletoe Market, along with other events such as the Honey Bee Festival and Craft Fair and SyFy Bartow.
This Spring Fling Hop & Shop will be their inaugural event. More than 90 vendors will be set up Central, Summerlin, Wilson, and Florida Avenue rather than Main Street’s usual location. Their new venue will allow vendors and guests to spread out more, thus better facilitating social distancing.
To ensure public health and safety during these uncertain times, special measures will be implemented to meet COVID-19 protocols. Vendors will be spaced ten feet away from each other, additional hand sanitizing stations will be offered, and masks will be encouraged for attendees.
“We are hoping for a beautiful spring day,” Linda said. “Our expectation is to bring out a nice crowd. Because we are doing everything that we can for COVID safety, we have spread out the event over a larger area so it will separate people and they will feel safe to come to shop. Our retail shops will be all set up for people to bring [their merchandise] on to the sidewalks and serving lunch, and I am hoping it will be as successful as our other events.”
Spring Fling Hop & Shop will be hosted on Sat., Apr. 3 from 10 am to 4 pm. The event will be located in Downtown Bartow along Central, Summerlin, Wilson, and Florida Avenue. For more information, visit the Main Street Bartow website at: http://www.MainStreetBartowFL.com/
