‘Must confront the realities’: Coronavirus claims another major York County festival.
Yet another annual festival in York County fell victim to coronavirus.
York City Council has voted to postpone two of its largest public events, both summer get-togethers. York won’t hold Summerfest this year. The city also won’t have it’s annual July 4 celebration.
Both decisions were made due to state and federal guidelines that discourage large public gatherings because of COVID-19.
“Staff, vendors and sponsors have been planning and working for months to prepare for both of these amazing events,” Mayor Mike Fuesser said in a statement. “A community never wants to cancel long-standing events that have become an annual tradition for residents and visitors, but we must confront the realities of public safety and the need to follow state and federal public health guidelines.”
Council voted to set aside funds that would’ve gone to those events in 2020, for use in 2021. Sponsors and vendors will be offered refunds, or rollover to the 2021 events.
“These events will be back in 2021, and bigger than ever,” Fuesser said.
Summerfest joins a long and known list of events that skipped or greatly modified their 2020 campaigns. Coronavirus social distancing measures hit in mid-March, just ahead of thus canceled St. Patrick’s Day gatherings countywide.
Come-See-Me in Rock Hill, a spring celebration each April, wasn’t held. The South Carolina Strawberry Festival in Fort Mill was canceled, then redone as a virtual event for 2020. Memorial Day events in Fort Mill and York were held virtually.
There had been hope by organizers of various community festivals at the onset of social distancing that it would last a matter of weeks, and that by later spring or summer public gatherings could resume. Some social distancing recommendations have eased, from restaurant dining to park use.
Yet some York County festivals can draw tens of thousands of people. Some last a week or more, bringing scores of people from all over into close contact.
Summerfest had been set for Aug. 22. The event can draw close to 50,000 people for concerts, games, demonstrations, car shows and other events. Like the Strawberry Festival and Come-See-Me, Summerfest has been recognized by state tourism leaders as a top annual event.
The July 4 cancellation in York brings up yet another question that will face many parts of the county. Fort Mill holds its canon firing, Tega Cay it’s full day of lake and land birthday activities, Lake Wylie its lakefront firework display and other areas their parties and fireworks events each year on July 4. Organizers of July 4 festivities have a month to decide what they may do, and on what scale, for 2020.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
