The start of the 2021 season for Mercado on Fifth is just under two months away. The outdoors market kicks off in Moline's Floriciente neighborhood on June 4th, 2021.
The non-profit organization's new director Anamaria Rocha says without Mercado last year, the community has missed out on so much.
"A lot of those opportunities have been missing for the kids," she says. "(And the camaraderie, live music, so many things."
Mercado will look a little different this summer. Face masks will be required, and there will be clear barriers to protect vendors and guests. There's also the possibility of more space.
"(I'm) hoping to see if the city will allow us to close additional space on 12th Street to gain some more space for people to social distance," Rocha says.
Another thing that's different about Mercado this year is location. The Davenport Riverfront will be home to Mercado en el Rio starting June 12th.
The new outdoor market will be held every second Saturday from June to October at Downtown Davenport's newly constructed Quinlan Court.
"It's exciting because more people who potentially haven't been to Mercado or don't even know about it, now get to be exposed to it, and it's closer to their home as well," Rocha says.
She says she hopes the race to vaccinate continues, so Mercado's season stays on track.
"It does give us hope," Rocha says. "I know last year we had those bursts of hope. We thought things would start opening up again and they didn't. Right now, we're in a similar position where we're aiming for those things opening up and hoping they don't get scaled back. Those vaccinations help things continue to move forward."
The non-profit organization is looking for sponsors, volunteers and vendors for this season's markets. They're also hoping their new building near Mercado on Fifth will be ready to open next year.