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Freezing weather forces Langley farmers market indoors

One vendor endured sub-zero conditions to sell seafood outside
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Ron Gorman of Wild West Coast Seafoods was the only outside vendor at the Saturday farmers market in Langley. Black Press Media photo

Normally, the winter version of the Langley Community Farmers Market still has outdoor vendors, thanks to the usually mild weather.

This Saturday, the weather was far from mild, with freezing temperatures and blowing wind that forced all but one of the vendors indoors at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

“We had a lot of cancellations,” said Cherise McGee, the market manager.

“It’s way too cold to be outside.”

The lone outdoor vendor was Ron Gorman of Wild West Coast Seafoods, who uses heavy freezers in his truck.

Gorman was bundled up against the cold, but said it still took him a while to warm up when the day was done.

“Normally, I can handle the cold,” Gorman said.

“It took me a couple of hours to get warm.”

He said another vendor loaned him a portable heater and people kept bringing him hot chocolate and snacks throughout the day.

Business was better than expected.

“It wasn’t a rich day, by any means,” Gorman said.

“[But] I did better than the indoor vendors.”

The next Langley Community Farmers Market is scheduled for March 9.

READ MORE: BC Hydro customers without power as strong winds hit south coast

READ MORE: Extreme weather alert issued for the Langleys

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley including the Langleys.

In the wake of the winter storm on Friday, a second relatively weaker storm is set to arrive today, the agency said.

With arctic air remaining in place over the weekend, the arrival of the new storm will potentially bring more snow to the BC south coast.

The forecaster is predicting 5 to 10 cm of snow is possible for southern Vancouver Island with lesser amounts falling in the Lower Mainland.

“However, there remains some uncertainty with the storm track as the system develops offshore on Sunday,” the forecast said.

” A slight deviation of the forecast track will greatly impact the amount of snowfall across southern BC.”

Temperatures were expected to rise above the freezing mark by Tuesday.

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Barb Haddock of the Jam Shack was one of the vendors who braved the cold to sell at the Langley Community Farmers Market on Saturday. Black Press Media photo
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Cold weather forced all but one of the vendors at the Langley Community Farmers Market indoors Saturday. Black Press Media photo
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Kiaera McQuillan manned the Langley Animal Protection Society fundraising table at the Langley Community Farmers Market. Black Press Media photo