St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Fort Mill SC canceled due to Coronavirus concerns.
One of York County’s largest spring events has been canceled because of coronavirus concerns, officials said.
The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival held annually at Baxter Village in Fort Mill will not be held Saturday, said Mike Martoccia, director of activities for Baxter Village. The decision was made after neighboring North Carolina declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, and cases in South Carolina continue to grow.
The annual event draws as many as 8,000 people and more than 120 vendors, organizers said.
Organizers canceled the event because of spread concerns for attendees, vendors and the community, Martoccia said.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, as event coordinators and vendors spent several months preparing for this annual festival and parade,” Martoccia said.
The cancellation of the Baxter Village/Fort Mill event comes after state officials announced changes to Special Olympics practices and events.
On Tuesday, Special Olympics South Carolina announced the cancellation of three statewide events. The state basketball (March 14) and state cheer (April 25) competitions won’t be held. Neither will the Statehouse Rally for Special Olympics planned for March 31. York, Lancaster and Chester counties make up Area 11.
St. Patrick’s Day gatherings in the tri-county area annually kick off a series of large spring gatherings.
Lancaster has its Red Rose Brew Fest planned for Friday and Saturday, with an expected 1,500 people over two days. Clover has a St. Patrick’s Day kickoff event Friday and Fort Mill has a Main Street Shamrock Jam planned Saturday, among others.
Even larger upcoming events include Come See Me in Rock Hill in April, the South Carolina Strawberry Festival in Fort Mill in May and numerous summer gatherings throughout the area. Some events draw in the tens of thousands of guests.
On Tuesday, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced it was investigating two more possible cases of coronavirus in the state. Through that announcement, the state had 41 people tested for coronavirus with two confirmed and seven presumptive cases. A presumptive test means it tested positive, but needs to be confirmed by the CDC.
“Our coordinated response efforts continue to identify new cases,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in a statement announcing the new cases. “We are working with the CDC and state and local officials to limit community spread while continuing with our protocol for identifying travel-related cases in the state.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 9:52 AM.
