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On March 14, 2020, the Franklin County Farmers Market had a “normal market,” said vendor and board member Connie Lemley. Customers walked through the market and decided what to buy, as they always did— though there was already some distancing and extra handwashing, Lemley said.

It was a record sales day for many vendors. “People were just feeling a little bit freaked out about where their food was going to come from,” Lemley said. “An interesting moment because, you know, most of the time in this country we don’t worry about that.”

Then, for several weeks, there was no market at all, as leaders figured out how to proceed while complying with state and CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the beginning of April, the Franklin County Farmers Market hosted a drive-thru market, with vendors set up around the outside of the pavilion, allowing customers to pick up their orders from inside their cars rather than on foot. It was a record sales day for many vendors. “People were just feeling a little bit freaked out about where their food was going to come from,” Lemley said. “An interesting moment because, you know, most of the time in this country we don’t worry about that.”

But it was hard work— customers had to place orders online ahead of time, so each vendor had an “overwhelming” amount of information to keep up with themselves.

Thankfully, the market had an online ordering system already in place for its Farm to Frankfort workplace delivery program. Some of the vendors had already been using that system for two years.

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