Moonlight Market Schedule
The 2023 Moonlight Market is Thursday, August 10th, located at the Curwood Castle Park (224 Curwood Castle Drive, Owosso, MI). This market runs from 4pm-8pm, vendors can begin arriving as early as 1:30pm, all vendors must be fully set up by 3:30pm. No vendor will be admited for setup and entry after 3pm. In the event of inclement weather, we will provide an alternate date for Moonlight Market, the following Thursday, which will be decided upon the week of the market event.

Vendor Guidelines & Schedule
The Owosso Farmers Market accepts the following types of vendor category definitions for all events:Agricultural/Farmer – farmers and growers who raise, harvest and cultivate their produce, herbs, nursery crops and flowers in the state of Michigan. This includes beekeepers, dairy, eggs, meat and fish producers who process their own local raw product to sell. No more than 20% of your products can be included for the following two categories as an Agricultural/Farming vendor: 1.Representative Vendor: offering “Locally Grown” food items and agricultural products for resale. These items must be grown and/or produced in Michigan and labeled with the address of its origin. 2.Farmer Direct: purchased directly from the farmer who grew it, vendors must provide the farm name and address of each producers whose product they will sell.
Artisan Goods – handcrafted, non-edible products that are Michigan-made and designed or crafted by you.
Food & Beverage – prepared or cooked on site, value-added, or pre-packaged items. Our vendors are encouraged to use locally-sourced or Michigan grown ingredients whenever possible. Food trucks are under the jurisdiction of the local health department in their county. To participate with OFM events, you must submit a copy of your inspection document. All food truck vendors are required to provide their own waste bin and dispose of their trash off site.
Other – This includes non-profit groups and vendors wanting to re-selling unique items or providing specialty services. No more than 20% of your products can be direct or wholesale items.
We do not accept wholesale only vendor prodcuts. 

All vendors are required to check in and arrive no later than 3pm. Your space must be fully set up and ready for customers by 3:30 pm. Latecomers will be denied admission, or admitted and located at the market management’s discretion if possible. This is important as late arrival creates difficulties with street closures and jeopardizes the safety of vendors and customers walking. Please call, email or text the OFM manager if you know you will be absent from a market event, so we can modify the layout as needed. If you will be arriving late to the market event, you must call the Market Manager to give as much notice as possible. We cannot guarantee enterance for anyone arriving after 3pm for setup. 

Vendors are prohibited from packing up their vendor booth and/or leaving the market before it closes (8 pm). In the event there is a personal emergency, please contact the Market Manger to arrange for a safe departure during market hours. If you sell out of products before the market ends, you are required to keep your booth space set up with a display of sold out on a legible sign. You cannot begin packing up your vendor space before 8 pm. You may not bring in your vehicle into the market space for packing until 8:30pm, otherwise you may walk your items to your vehicle.

Products: All vendors are permitted to sell only the products within your vendor category and the items that were listed on your application that were approved by DOFM. If you wish to add any items outside of what you have listed on your application, or your vendor category, you may contact the Market Manager for approval. All vendor products should be content-neutral and refrain from any political content. The OFM prohibits vendors from: any sales of raffle tickets, gambling, all forms of organized or intended soliciting and/or political activity, displays and products. No distribution of content-based literature or marketing is permitted. All vendors should bring a sufficient amount of product for this market, filling your booth space. 

Permits & Insurance: Vendors are required to provide and present any permits, licenses and insurance required by the State of Michigan and Shiawassee County. It is the sole responsibility of each vendor to be familiar with and abide by all state and federal regulations pertaining to the production, harvest, preparation, preservation, labeling, and safety of products sold at the market. OFM is not held responsible for any vendors violating state and federal regulations. Additional information can be found here.

Payment: All vendor fees are due with delivery of this signed contract. You will not have a designated space until full payment and signed contract is delivered. Payments can be made on our website with the provided link in your email, or cash & checks are accepted (please contact the Market Manager to arrange if needed).

Operation Requirements & Setup
Booth space: A single vendor space for Moonlight Market is 10’x10′. Your setup and marketing materials must be within your space and not intrude on your neighbors. If you require more than 10 feet of space you must purchase additional booth space(s). It is imperative to not exceed your 10′ of space in front of your booth as we need to allow for emergency vehicles to drive through and proper flower for customers. Food truck and consession vendors have up to a 15 foot space for trucks and trailers per single space, up to two spaces allowed and limited power hookup is available. Load-in space is limited and each booth vendor will have up to 15 minutes to unpack their vehicle before it must be moved. Vendors may enter with their vehicle to unload in the designated space, park in the vendor lot and return to set up – we suggest bringing a wagon to unload and travel to booth space. Volunteers will be on hand to help with unloading. A map will be sent out the week of Moonlight Market to get a general idea of accessibility and layout for the entire market. Upon arrival you will check in and be directed to your booth number. Vendors are not permitted to park their vehicles at their booth space, plant to transport your setup a short distance from load-in.

Vendors are required to supply their own tables, table coverings, and marketing materials (at minimum, a sign with business name). A tent with at least 25lb weights is required. Your booth space(s) and tent should not create any safety hazards: tent weights should not cause a tripping hazard, tethers that are taut and have soft edges to avoid causing scrapes or cuts, no tripping hazards. You are responsible for maintaining a safe shopping space within your area for all customers. 

All vendors are required to have a sign stating their busienss name in or on their booth space. A vendors merchandise and signage cannot exceed the peramaters of your assigned booth space. Signage should to be any further than 3 ft in front of your booth space. All pricing on prodcuts should be properly displayed and legible. We highly suggest planning out your booth space before the event to provide a successful vending experience, as this market is a provides a high amount of foot traffic!

OFM is committed to a clean and environmentally friendly, leave-no-waste trash policy. Vendors are responsible for hauling away any trash collected and for leaving their booth area clean of debris and garbage. Please do not fill the public trash bins with boxes and/or full trash bags. All food truck vendors are required to provide and dispose of their own trash receptacles. 

Policies & Conduct
The OFM is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Every individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that provides equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices. We expect all vendors, staff and representatives in the OFM to be professional and welcoming. No vendor shall refuse to permit the purchase of any product or service based on race, religion, color, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, gender-identity, height, weight or mental/physical ability. Harassment in any form will not be tolerated. Any vendor or staff member experiencing or witnessing any form of harassment or discrimination should report it immediately to the Market Manager. 

Smoking of any kind at your vendor space or anywhere inside the Market event is prohibited. All OFM events are no-smoking.

No participant has the right to sell, sublease, transfer or permit any other seller to use their vendor space.

We ask that vendors do not leave their booths unattended during market hours. If you are working alone and need a break, please ask a OFM staff member to cover you, we’re happy to help.

The OFM does not assume responsibility for any vendor’s items at any time. All items and equipment brought into premises are responsible solely by the vendor who owns it.

We expect all OFM vendors, and their staff to conduct themselves in a manner that contributes to a positive shopping experience for our customers. Leave the negative energy at home, the goal of all OFM events is to be welcoming and enjoyable for all in our community. Common courtesy and respect are essential to the success of all OFM events. The staff and management expects market participants to be honest and to conduct themselves in a courteous and friendly manner with other market vendors, staff, and shoppers. Please refrain from the following: playing loud music, smoking of any kind, arguing and/or using vulgar language with other vendors, OFM staff or customers, sleeping at your vendor space and leaving the market early.

Any person, vendor or staff member that is found to be violating these policies are subject to penalties, including suspension or immediate expulsion from the market. DOFM may require vendors to remove any non-permitted merchandise or products in its sole discretion at any time that do not meet criteria and were not approved per the vendors application. 

Vendor Compliance: Common courtesy and respect are essential to the success of all OFM events. Vendors share responsibility for keeping OFM viable, ensuring public safety and maintaining the integrity of our Farmers Market as a representative of the OFM. This contract provides all vendor rules and guidelines to remain in good standing of our mission and help create a safe, fun and profitable Market environment. Violation of these rules will put a vendor “out of compliance” resulting in direct communication from Market management. OFM staff is committed to working cooperatively with vendors to communicate and resolve non-compliance issues. The OFM management has discretion in evaluating any specific incidences witnessed or reported to management, and applying immediate action to the vendor deemed necessary which includes, but is not limited to: Market Manager may issue a verbal or written warning/citation. Immediate suspension or termination of vendor acceptance for the Market Event. It is expected that any incident will be handled immediately in a mature fashion, and contained to not disrupt the Market experience for customers and vendors. If a vendor has a formal dispute or complaint regarding OFM staff, a customer or vendor, it may be submitted to Market Management and/or the Board of Directors in writing, via email. The Board of Directors will address all formal complaints for an acceptable outcome.

Non-disparagement: Vendors and/or their employees shall not demean, harass or make negative comments about in any form or fashion of: other vendors, their products or spaces, Market staff or the OFM itself. Conduct meant to harm someone’s reputation and/or business will not be tolerated. This includes all social media outlets. The OFM Manager has the right to immediately deny or restrict any vendor to the Market for failure to follow any of the Farmers Market conduct policies.

Procedures
Cancelation & Refunds: No refunds will be issued under any circumstances. The OFM reserves the right to approve all vendor applications. If a vendor is approved to participate in the markets, if a vendor is terminated or chooses to terminate their vendor space, there will be no refund.

Infractions: Violations of operational requirements and these guidelines will result in citations by market management. Vendors will receive two warnings regarding any violation listed above. Further violations may be grounds for suspension and immediate expulsion from the market.

DOFM Website & Marketing:
The OFM website and social media pages are updated routinely with vendors, events and seasonal offerings. Our Moonlight Market event page will provide customers with information about your products, location, market schedule, and more – based on the information you’ve provided on your application. If you’d like to provide us with more information, photos and anything else about your business to be included on our site and social marketing materials, please email the Market Manager.

Terms & Conditions:
Severability: Should any part of this Agreement be declared invalid for any reason, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of any remaining portion thereof, and such remaining portion shall continue in full force and effect as if this Agreement originally had been executed without including the invalid portion. Compliance with the guidelines is required for the entire selling season. If you fail to comply with these requirements, you will be required to meet with the MFB management to discuss membership concerns. If there is a second instance of failure to comply or a formal complaint against a vendor, it will constitute a breach of this agreement and the member will no longer be eligible for membership and their membership shall be terminated by OFM . OFM shall adopt procedural rules governing the termination of membership for failure to meet these continuing requirements of membership.

Assignment: The Parties agree that neither has the right to assign any duties or rights under this Agreement.

Amendment: The management team reserves the right to amend these Rules and Regulations at any time. Amendments will be made in writing and will become effective immediately.