Mayfest Arts Fair goes virtual amid COVID-19 concerns

Many annual events have been cancelled due to COVID-19, but one local art fair moved to a virtual platform.

"Typically this would be a gorgeous, sunny Mother's Day in Gratz Park," Laura Farnsworth, Senior Event Director for the Downtown Lexington Partnership , said. "We would have thousands of people of all ages, lots of mothers, but kiddos and fathers as well strolling around, shopping for art, listening to live music, eating local food."

Even though the event cannot be held in person, it was still important to hold it in some fashion.

"It's super important as everybody knows to keep supporting, support everyone," Farnsworth said. "Support local restaurants and other different businesses and a lot of people don't think about supporting local artists, handcrafted artists."

That support is so important to the local artists, who are facing the same challenges that so many people are today.

"I'm also a school teacher and we don't know what that's going to look like in the future, so I definitely am going to need to have that extra income coming in," Cherri Thompson, who owns Cherri's Puzzles, said. "I have a son. He's ready to go to college in the fall."

Thompson has high hopes for having the event online and it's ability to have an even larger reach.

"I can't sell to everybody in Lexington," Thompson said. "So if I can get out to different cities and states even, that would be amazing."

It's one of the positive sides she sees in having a virtual event.