October is in full swing in Jim Thorpe and, as expected, the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped visitors from pouring in during the town’s busiest time of year.

“It’s still as busy as I’ve ever seen it,” said resident Betty Norris. “Traffic was backed up on every side of town.”

Though the official “Fall Foliage Festival,” which normally spans three October weekends, was canceled this year, leaves are still changing colors, train rides are still leaving the station, and Jim Thorpe’s shops and restaurants are still forging ahead with great food and deals.

All of that combined, according to local officials, combined to make patience the number one goal this weekend.

“Saturday was much busier than normal,” Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz said. “Route 209 was tied up back to the Bagel Bunch on that end. Broadway was jammed up to the Opera House. Going toward Nesquehoning, it was heavy traffic way up beyond the Liberties. Sunday it was flowing much better, but we had massive crowds on Saturday.”

When it comes to traffic, there was no let up on the east side of town either. North Street, Schatz said, had backups past St. Joseph Church and Maury Road even had residual impact toward Penn’s Peak.

The traffic issue, Norris said, is to be expected.

“I don’t know how different it was from a normal weekend,” she said. “It’s just one of those things. It was a beautiful weekend in Jim Thorpe and foliage is at its peak. That’s how it’s going to be. People should definitely know that by now.”

The Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency decided not to sponsor any music in Josiah White Park, or parking shuttles to Mauch Chunk Lake. They didn’t want to promote activities which crowded strangers together.

However, in the months leading up to October, with no festival to market, the agency encouraged residents and visitors to patronize local businesses and “Fall In Love With Jim Thorpe,” an effort to help the local economy following a challenging spring.

“I’m discovering that Jim Thorpe is attracting a lot of first time visitors this year,” said Beth Beers, owner of the Everything Nice Gift Shop, on Race Street. “I think a lot of people’s big vacation plans may have changed this year so they’re taking time to discover small town America.”

When it comes to discovering small town America, Jim Thorpe is a top choice for many. It often makes top 10 travel lists, especially in the fall. This year, it was one of Redbook Magazine’s 12 cutest fall towns in the United States.

“There’s really nothing like this,” said Marianne Rustad, JTTA vice president. “The amount of people who come into this area. I’ve really never seen anything like it.”

Residents and visitors alike are definitely taking notice that, despite the pandemic, crowds in town are still strong.

“It took us a while, probably a good half-hour, to get into town once we got close,” said Isaac Mills, of Virginia, who remained in Jim Thorpe with his family Monday on the long holiday weekend. “We wanted to ride the train, but it was pretty crazy. The line for tickets was long. I don’t think the pandemic is keeping anyone out of town, which is good for the businesses. While it’s personally frustrating not to do some of the things we wanted to do, I’m glad business is thriving.”

Local leaders realized early on that canceling the Fall Foliage Festival didn’t mean the end of planning efforts when it came to managing tourist season. Groups such as the JTTA, Jim Thorpe Borough, Carbon County, Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation and Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau met virtually to iron out public safety and traffic control procedures.

“I thought as far as the planning went, this was the best year yet for that conversation with everyone at the table,” Schatz said at a recent borough workshop.

“Through everyone working together, we were able to come up with a great operational plan.”

As plans for the “Fall In Love With Jim Thorpe” campaign progressed, one of the things organizers stressed was visitors wearing masks, socially distancing as much as possible and following all health guidelines.

“We want everyone to come and have a good time, but we want them to use common sense,” Mayor Michael Sofranko said at a recent meeting.

To this point, Beers said, it seems as the message has gotten through.

“People have been very respectful,” Beers said. “I haven’t had to tell anyone who has come in my shop to put their mask on. Everyone is very kind to one another. It’s great to see. I think people just want some sense of normalcy. When you see the busy streets, it definitely feels normal again.”

Rustad added, “The fall season is definitely important. As well as the whole holiday season, I feel are the most important parts of the year.”

Chris Reber contributed to this report.