Shocking news today.
Not surprising, however.
There will be no Decatur Celebration in 2020.
I am bummed. But, I understand. #StupidCorona
From the Herald & Review editorial board:
Our summer just got a bit bleaker. But we understand why, and reluctantly have to acknowledge the Decatur Celebration board of directors has made the right decision.
The Celebration board announced Friday that complications and uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Decatur Celebration, which was to have been its 35th, had been cancelled.
We’re presently impatiently waiting the conclusion of the pandemic. We can imagine what the world would be like in early August, when Decatur Celebration would be taking over downtown. But none of us have any idea where the country will actually be.
We’ve already seen the postponements, cancellations and closings (voluntary and mandated) that have left billion-dollar businesses uncertain about how and when to move forward. Will there be a baseball season? What about football? What is the economy going to look like? How many of us will have lost our jobs? How many of us who still have jobs will feel as though we have limited disposable income?
Decatur Celebration is not just about the audience. The audience needs a reason to come. The re-normalization of entertainment won’t start with venues that house the entertainment or the entities that record or broadcast it. The entertainers – athletes, actors, musicians – are going to have to feel comfortable and competent returning to their stages. That won’t happen immediately. They’ll need to get back into professional condition. What would happen if Celebration were to book acts and continue with plans for the event, only to have artists unable or unwilling to show up?
Decatur Celebration, though, is much more than the entertainment. Arts vendors, crafts vendors and food vendors all have to travel and acquire their raw goods. While we can safely assume arts and crafts vendors are adding to their inventory, food vendors cannot do so as neatly. Vendors are among the many professions with uncertainties in their futures.
Decatur Celebration isn’t just about the audience or the vendors or the entertainment. Don’t forget the hundreds of volunteers who give thousands of hours of work to the party. Don’t forget sponsors whose funds help fill the stages.
Celebration’s decision is unfortunate but prudent. Making it at this time also allowed the event to avoid the confusion and embarrassment other events have experienced. Too many events have either promised they would go on and had to cancel or have rescheduled, possibly several times, before finally cancelling. At least Celebration got in front of its own story.
This is likely the first of a number of disappointments we’ll endure as this pandemic cuts its path through our society. This leaves us rooting more and more for Decatur Celebration 2021.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt