A year ago, the coronavirus hadn’t quite gotten a full grip on the country, and the IronPigs were able to hold their annual Phillies caravan with members of the Phillies coming to the Lehigh Valley to promote the season and raise money for IronPigs charities.

No one was socially distanced, and people even shook hands and posed next to each other for photos while reporters huddled around members of the Phillies contingent for interviews. There also wasn’t a mask to be found, unless one were to include the Phanatic, Ferrous and FeFe.

This year, the caravan went off with not only social distancing, but also with members of the Phillies and their fans all in different places for a virtual caravan. There were no pictures and no handshakes, and even the mascots weren’t in attendance.

As the IronPigs generally do, they turned to their innovation and marketing expertise to pull off a solid resemblance of the caravan. Joe Girardi spoke, as did former IronPigs Adam Haseley, Rhys Hoskins and broadcaster Tom McCarthy.

The event was the best that could be produced given the restrictions of COVID-19, and it was still successful. The silent auction of products - many of which featured autographs of current or former IronPigs who have gone on to play for the Phillies - was a success, and sponsors lined up to be a part of the presentation.

While not all of the figures are in, the early projection has the caravan, which was broadcast on Service Electric Television, raising as much as $24,000 for IronPigs Charities, an amount that Kurt Landes, the president and general manager of the IronPigs, was extremely grateful for.

“I’m really pleased with the amount of money that we were able to raise, and that it will allow us to continue to give grants to local organizations who need them,” said Landes. “We’ve been able to come up with ideas on how to raise money for IronPigs Charities, whether it’s through BINGO, the character cruise-through last summer, or other events that we’ve put together.”

As for the upcoming season, there’s no schedule yet for the IronPigs. With the realignment of the entire minor league system, the schedule will now be produced by Major League Baseball, and Landes expects to have the schedule in place around the middle of February. Details, including how much travel each team will do and even when the season will start, are still being worked out.

“We’re planning to be ready by the first week of April to be hosting games,” said Landes. “If that gets pushed back, we can adjust, but we’re working on that assumption so that we’re sure we’re ready to go.”

While some fans may assume that the IronPigs front office has just been kicking back, Landes assures everyone that it’s more stressful than it’s been in recent years.

“There is so much more to consider,” he said. “We’re working with Major League Baseball and local health officials on guidelines for fans and working to figure how many fans we can have at games and still make sure that the ballpark is not only fan friendly, but completely safe for fans. That’s especially difficult since fans have differing views of what’s safe. When we get baseball back on the field after not having a season last year, we must be able to make a good second ‘first impression’ and that fans are as impressed with how we’re doing things safety-wise as they were with when the ballpark first opened.”

The front office also realizes that it is going to have to be able to make decisions quickly during the season, so they’re playing out varying scenarios. What happens if the capacity guidelines go up or down? How can the team accommodate fans in the case of schedule changes?

“We could have a situation where we sell tickets based on having a certain number of fans in the ballpark, and then have to adjust how the seating is laid out if we’re able to accommodate more fans or have to cut back,” said Landes. “Plus, think of the fact that we basically operate a restaurant that serves up to 10,000 people over a three-hour span throughout the summer. What restrictions will there be on food, and where people can dine, and how all of that will work? We’re looking at all of these things and coming up with ways to handle any scenario that could come up during the season, and we’re doing it all with fan safety in mind, while still making the fan experience as good as it can possibly be.

“Obviously, there’s also the consideration of keeping our employees safe and making sure that they’re not put into a situation that they don’t feel comfortable being in. That’s a big consideration for us, and for every business.”

Landes said that the team may consult with teams from other leagues like the NFL and NBA who have had to play during the pandemic to see how they have been able to accommodate fans and keep everybody safe.