The folks behind the growing West Side Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in the summer and fall want to bring people together … from a safe distance.

The St. Paul West Side market is hosting a virtual live arts festival: “6 Feet, 6 Strings, 1 Heart, 1 Side” on April 4. The daylong event will feature many of the musicians who perform weekly at the market on George Street, said market operations manager Steve Bivans. People who want to “attend” the festival can sign up at the West Side Farmers Market Facebook page. They will receive updates and reminders about the event, he said.

Bivans talked about the name of the festival. Six feet is about social distancing, six strings represents music, one heart is obvious and “in this situation there is no side. Everyone is on the same side all over the planet.”

The event will feature a link to a GoFundMe page to raise money for musicians who are struggling with the coronavirus shutdown and have lost income. The money will be spread out to performers in the festival and musicians who have performed at the West Side Farmers Market. Music is a big part of the weekly market, Bivans said, with one to two acts each week.

Music during the online festival will range from bluegrass to reggae, blues, folks and more, Bivans said. One of the biggest names scheduled to perform is Peewee Dread of Dread I Dread.

“It’s mostly about coming together and trying to erase boundaries that don’t exist, anyway,” said Bivans, a writer and former musician.