JACKSON CENTER — Jackson Center Community Days will not be seen again until 2021.
Canceling the annual event, set for Thursday, May 28, through Sunday, May 31, was a decision village officials did not come to lightly, according to Chief of Police Chuck Wirick.
“I’m sure that there’ll be some disappointment, but I’m sure that, the way our community is so tight-knit, they’ll feel that it was in their best interest, and they’ll support the decision,” Wirick said.
The decision to cancel Community Days came after examining the concerns surrounding COVID-19 in regard to large gatherings, and taking into account Gov. Mike DeWine’s various shutdowns and stay-at-home orders put in place in March and extended through May 1. The Community Days decision was announced Tuesday afternoon via Jackson Center Community Days’ Facebook page.
“We have struggled with this decision for sometime now and we feel that this is in the best interest for everyone involved,” the post said.
According to Wirick, 85 percent of the event was already planned. All the vendors who were slated to attend have been understanding when told the event would be canceled for 2020.
“Most everybody we have talked to have been excellent to deal with. They know it’s beyond our control, and with the safety and welfare of everybody in mind, this is in our best interest,” Wirick said. “We’re just gonna plan for a bigger and better Community Days for 2021.”
While Jackson Center’s Community Days festival is one of the first official event cancellations in Shelby County’s spring/summer season, many organizations have preemptively canceled or postponed their events to a later date. While some are still planning to take place as originally scheduled, that could change depending how the response at the local and state levels progress due to COVID-19.
Below is a list of events that regularly take place in Shelby County, and their status as of Thursday, April 9, 2020:
• Buckeye Farm Antiques Show, originally scheduled for Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24, has been canceled.
• Airstream has rescheduled Alumapalooza for Sunday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 13. The annual Airstream Fine Arts Invitational has been postponed until further notice.
• Botkins Carousel is still planned for Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14. The Botkins Community Club will hold a meeting Monday, April 13, and make a decision whether or not to cancel or postpone then.
• Houston Communty Classics Festival, scheduled for Saturday, June 20, is currently going on as planned. Any decisions to cancel or postpone the festival will be made by the beginning of May.
• Anna Homecoming is still planned for Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20. A decision to postpone or cancel will be made the week of April 12.
• The Holy Angels Parish Picnic is still planned for Saturday, June 27. A decision to cancel or postpone will be made by early May.
• The Fort Loramie Liberty Days Festival is still planned for Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. Any decision to cancel or postpone will be made at a later date, depending on how the response to COVID-19 concerns develops.
• The New Knoxville Independence Day Celebration is still planned for Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. The event committee will make a decision to postpone by the end of this week.
• The Sidney City Fourth of July Celebration will still include fireworks and a concert performed by the Sidney Civic Band, but the parade and other activities have been canceled. Decisions on further cancellations will be made by mid-June.
• The Vietnam Travelling Wall will be on display in Custenborder Park Monday, May 11, through Sunday, May 17, as originally planned. Any cancellations or postponements will depend on whether or not DeWine extends stay-at-home orders and the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people past May 1.
• The Kettlersville/Van Buren Fire Department Festival is still planned for Saturday, July 18. Any decisions to cancel or postpone will be made at the July fire meeting, held the first week in July.
• The New Bremen Fireman’s Picnic, scheduled for Saturday, July 25, is still proceeding as planned. Any decisions to cancel or postpone the event will be made by mid-June.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County are looking into postponing the Duck Derby & Duck-N-Run 5k, originally scheduled for Thursday, June 15. Any decisions on postponing will be made in May.
• The third annual Y-Fest, held by the Shelby County YMCA, is planned for early September. Any decisions to cancel or postpone will be made at a later date, depending on how the response to COVID-19 concerns develops.
• The Veterans and First Responders Pow Wow is still planned for Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16. Any decisions to cancel or postpone will be made by mid-July.
• The 69th annual Versailles Poultry Days Festival is proceeding as planned for Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14. Any decisions to cancel or postpone will be made at another date and announced on the festival’s Facebook page.
• Relay for Life of Shelby County is still set for Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8. A decision to postpone the relay will be made by early June. Currently, the quarter auction originally scheduled for Thursday, April 21 has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 23.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides charity walk, originally scheduled for Sunday, May 17, has been canceled. A virtual walk will be held Friday, June 5, and teams can still participate by going for a walk in their neighborhood, taking a bike ride, or hopping on a treadmill, all while practicing social distancing.
• All events scheduled at Lake Loramie State Park through May 15 have been cancelled. Any events scheduled after May 15 are currently still happening as planned, but are subject to be cancelled or postponed depending on how the concerns surrounding COVID-19 develop. The public is welcome to visit the park to hike, fish and do other outdoor activities while practicing social distancing.
