Coarsegold businesses hope heat and nearby wildfire won't deter shoppers from Peddler's Market

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Smoke and haze fill the mountain sky as fire burns near Yosemite. Vendors at The Coarsegold Peddler's Market are hoping for tourists, even with the closure of the South Gate entrance into Yosemite.

"We count on the people coming out of Yosemite for our revenue because they usually go to Yosemite and then they stop here and get something to drink or eat because we got great Indian tacos," Diane Boland, the Coarsegold Chamber of Commerce president. "It's kind of a stop on their way home from their vacation. But this year we're afraid we're not gonna have it."

Boland says they're doing everything they can to attract people to the annual peddlers market, setting up cooling stations to keep people and pets comfortable. The event goes on twice a year.

Boland says the Labor Day weekend is a major event for businesses.

"This is the last show of the year," she said. "This is where vendors kind of make or break themselves as they go into winter and it's a tough job to be a vendor to load all your stuff and bring it out and show your wares and try to make a few dollars and create a really great environment."

The event showcases products, people and local shops. Sales are important, especially to new businesses in the Coarsegold Historic Village like the Fudge Shop which sells its sweet treats to tourists.

"We're really excited about this weekend," Lisa Lewis with the shop said. "We opened for Memorial Day in May, and we didn't know how much to cook or any of that and we started off with 250 pounds of fudge and sold out in four days."

The Wild Fig restaurant has become a popular spot for locals and tourists.

"It's a little hot in the smoke but hopefully doesn't keep people away from the mountains," owner Marc Neff said.

And organizers are hoping that locals and tourists will come out to support them. The peddlers fair runs through Monday.