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The Station 34 Pizza Pub, 34 S. Main St. (southwest across the street from Village Hall), offered family pizza meal kits to customers locked up during the various COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. They were the brainchild and invention of Station 34 owner Joe Irick who had actually started working on the idea before the pandemic hit.

“I wanted to bring home from the restaurant a fun activity for my kids,” Irick recalled. “So, I started to experiment to find the perfect recipe for a dough ball that would work well in a regular oven. When the pandemic hit, it just made sense to make these kits available for everyone to buy so that they could have a fun experience while stuck at home. It was also another way to bring in revenue while the restaurant was closed for dining.”

“So, we added them to our menu and promoted them on local Facebook groups. Quickly, customers started to promote the product to their friends, and it became popular, so I created a separate website for more direct marketing of the Pizza Meal Kits, and it continues to grow to this day,” he explained.

“Customers love that they have a fun activity to do at home and that the pizza was truly the same quality as restaurant-style pizza. They’ve been a hit!” Irick added.

At the beginning of the pandemic when many were afraid to make a trip to the grocery store, Station 34 even offered delivery of produce, meats, cheeses and toilet paper via their website. They also partnered with Capannari’s Ice Cream to deliver their ever-so-popular pints during the winter months when their storefront is closed. Station 34 has also expanded on the food kits idea and now offers hamburger kits (during grilling season) and taco kits, too. They can all be purchased at station34pizzapub.com.

Prior to the explosion of COVID-19 on the scene in March 2020, Mae Wilton ran a Parents Time Out business for young families.

“Our whole business model relies on getting parents out of the house and meeting new people through our events,” Wilton explained. “Our prime customer base consists of families with kids ages 0-12, but all are welcome to attend our events.”

“When the pandemic first hit, we struggled to find new event ideas, while also struggling with our new normal in our own home,” she recalled.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic “we have been running sanity socials, which are virtual events for parents to connect with one another. They run at 8:30 pm every Thursday and are free to join. We have also tried to run one event every month that is family-friendly.”

For instance, they held a socially distant Santa event that was a huge hit and also ran a free “Noon Year’s Eve” event. Families signed on to join a virtual book reading and balloon drop countdown at noon.

They have also run virtual pizza making and hair styling classes/events.

“While everyone is very excited to be able to have in-person events soon, they seem to enjoy the options we have provided during this time,” Wilton concluded.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Picket Fence Realty at 400 W. Central Rd., led by Tom and Mary Zander, chose to erect an ever-changing chalkboard on the front of their building and used it to post inspirational messages.

“We had initially planned on putting up some posters in those two spots on the front of our building, similar to those attached to buildings around the world — with wheat paste,” Tom explained.  “But when the pandemic struck, we decided to make a chalkboard which would allow us more flexibility.  We discussed allowing the public to draw on it, but there were obvious concerns with that idea.  Now, we just use it to post random thoughts and messages, similar to the businesses that post cute sayings/thoughts on their signs or in public view.”

Tom is the artist. “I have some artistic talent but need to sketch it out in advance for it to come out looking halfway decent.  For more intricate images, I have an old school projection lamp that will display images on the chalkboard for me to trace, but that can only be done in the dark.”

Many customers, associates and random people have noticed and mentioned the chalkboard, he added, so they plan to continue to use it, even once the pandemic is part of our memories.They are open to suggestions for future topics.