Coronavirus update: Fort Mill council calls special meeting as big public events loom
Elected officials in Fort Mill will gather Friday to decide the fates of upcoming public events, in wake of coronavirus concerns throughout the region and beyond.
Fort Mill Town Council will meet at noon that day for a special called meeting. The only item on the agenda is a discussion on “potential decisions for town events.”
Chris Sardelli, town spokesperson, confirmed the discussion will involve event schedule impacts from COVID-19. That coronavirus strain now labeled a global pandemic by the World Health Organization is responsible for canceled or modified public gatherings across the country.
Fort Mill has several large public gatherings planned. The Detective Mike Doty Memorial Run comes Saturday, as does the Shamrock Jam on Main Street. The town has other large gatherings from food truck events to concerts. The largest coming event is the annual South Carolina Strawberry Festival the first week of May.
Already a Baxter parade and festival for St. Patrick’s Day, set for March 14, was canceled. Baxter is in unincorporated Fort Mill and the decision to cancel that event wasn’t made by town officials.
The town put out a statement Thursday afternoon on social media that officials plan to monitor health agency guidelines and will announce any potential changes as they are made. Sardelli said details on the Friday council meeting or what may be decided there are yet to be determined.
“Nothing’s been necessarily decided, but we wanted people to know we’re having the conversation,” he said.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 1:02 PM.
