WORCESTER, Mass. - While the Worcester Public Market was closed on Tuesday, the lifting of COVID restrictions has helped the market see an increase in customers since the start of the year.

“For the last three months, every weekend has been better," said the market’s founder, Allen Fletcher. "It just feels like a market. It feels like a market’s supposed to feel. Full of people, everyone having a good time.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Worcester Red Sox season started Tuesday in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • The team will play their home opener Tuesday, April 12. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
  • The team says a 300-space parking garage across from Polar Park will be ready for the season

Fletcher is expecting the trend to continue in the coming days, as the Worcester Red Sox return to play at Polar Park again.

He noted season one brought some growing pains for the neighborhood, particularly with parking.

“It was a disaster,” Fletcher said. “Plus, people were just scared to come down. You know, it wasn’t that they couldn’t find a place. But they were scared that they wouldn’t find a place.”

The WooSox are hoping the 300-space parking garage across the street eases some of the problem. The team says it will be ready for the home opener.

Tuesday, the WooSox began the regular season in Florida, kicking off their 2022 campaign much earlier than last year.

“We didn’t actually play our first game until May 4th,” said Bill Wanless, WooSox senior vice president. “Here we are now, going to open a season about a month earlier, in April. It’s about 85 degrees and sunny in Jacksonville. So no complaints from the team.”

Last season was unique for the WooSox with all of their firsts, from the first pitch to the first visit by star Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

Things should be different this year.

“This season is really more on building on the success all around of our inaugural season last year,” Wanless said. “Then, of course, trying to add some new touches and some improvements.”

Improvements not just in the ballpark, but in the Canal District.

“Feels like a golden age in the district,” Fletcher said. “Not only us, it’s the Crompton Collective, Crompton building, and gradually it’s going to be interesting how things develop over the next few years.”

The WooSox start their second season at Polar Park on April 12.