Organizers of the Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival have decided to cancel this year’s event in response to the uncertain future involving the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officers and board members of the annual event agreed Thursday to the cancellation during a video conference call.
“This decision was not taken lightly,” S. David Long, Strawberry Festival chairman, wrote in a statement emailed to early Friday morning to local media. “This is one of our county’s largest celebrations that many look forward to each year. That being said, we felt that with all of the unknowns at this point it was best to be proactive and protective in the best interests of our community and its citizens, particularly our elderly patrons who make up a large part of our attendees. It was a very difficult decision but it was the right decision.”
The annual three-day event, which attracts thousands to the lawn of Lane Place during the month of June, involves a great deal of pre-planning for the committee and the various vendors, entertainers, sports participants and suppliers. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to evolve on a daily basis, organizers believe it is important to notify everyone as soon as possible so that they can adjust their plans accordingly.
On a more hopeful note, Long wrote, there is strong support to possibly conduct a scaled down festival or similar event later in the year if the current situation subsides. The board will continue to closely follow events and explore what and when something of this nature might take place.
In the meantime, the festival committee thanks everyone for their past support and urges everyone to follow established guidelines for self, family and community safety.
“The Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival will return in June 2021, better than ever,” Long stated.
